Hunger and Passion
by TheTragicNoir
Summary: As a young man living independently after graduating from Shujin Academy, Ryuunosuke Katsuo decided to live isolated from society because afraid of his luck and past will chase him and hurting the people he cares. Never thought that his life will go upside-down after meeting with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. They will teach him to overcome his feelings of paranoia and guilt.
1. A man afraid of his luck

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

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You maybe are asking right now, how a bunch of teenagers were in ridiculous outfits while fighting a giant mechanical god on top of Tokyo. That's one way to start a story because our journey felt like the Divine Comedy, but we were going to heaven instead of hell which it doesn't make things better.

Seven months ago: I was an everyday young man working in a bar for some money for studies in Europe. One could wonder why I would do that instead of going to a university in this country. I had higher expectations, too prideful if I have to describe it better. My family was able to afford it if I ask them, but I don't, I wanted to become more independent after graduating from Shujin Academy a year ago.

That school was a hell hole at the moment Kamoshida, the PE teacher and the biggest douche I could ever meet, step in and started to bend the school for his desire, he always behaves like some king or something. He caused to the Track Team to disband because a first-year student punched him, creating big fuzz around the school. I felt terrible for the student, but there wasn't anything I could do to help him.

Everything changed on last May; I watched the news about Kamoshida getting arrested for physical abuse and sexual harassment, the thing that surprised me was he confessed about all those nasty things and turned himself for the police. There was no chance in life that scum could admit himself about all that stuff, some students said rumors about blackmailing or a fight with some delinquents, the most popular was about people called themselves The Phantom Thieves of Hearts, who left a calling card on the school board as a warning for him.

At first, I thought that they were exaggerating if it wasn't for the following month. Right, when June started, a renowned artist named Madarame confessed on the public during a conference on national television; he was arrested by fraud and plagiarism, including abuse from his former students, claiming he made them ruin their careers, throwing them to the rough streets. The Phantom Thieves appeared once again, and this time they were real for me.

The following month people around Tokyo started to talk more about them, was no longer rumor despite the skepticism from the citizens. Still, people hardly accepted them; television, internet, magazines and any other form of media kept talking about that group of people, being label as criminals. When I was thinking about them, people would easily classify others who are doing a change being criminals despite doing something good for others, made me feel sympathetic for them, sometimes jealous because they were doing more than me for a change.

When criminal organizations and government are always trying to overcome the other, and the third party gets on the middle, is easy to approach them and to try to get rid of them for their benefit instead of others. At the end, I was nobody to interfere on that kind of business, let those people do whatever they pleased. The only thing that kept me alive was myself because of my terrible luck with people, it was easy to do not stick my nose on someone else problems, or it was what I kept saying to myself until that day.

After finishing my morning shift from my delivery job, I drove on my motorcycle to Shibuya to rent movies, hoping to watch The Mechanical Apple. Just when I step on Central Street, I saw her.

She had Shujin uniform skirt, clean and always kept; her collar had some emblem with the letters BJ instead of the usual white polo shirt from the school. Her short hair was dark brown, with some style looking almost like a headband from the same color as her hair. I knew who she was, Niijima Makoto: the little sister of the Prosecutor Niijima Sae, the current student council president at her school, the role model student, and a pain in the ass. When I was her senpai during my senior year at Shujin, she always was talking all high almighty around everyone at school, all the teachers loved her, and she was that egg-headed principal's favorite.

I saw her standing outside of the bookstore, almost like trying to spy someone with malice. She was keeping her eyes on another Shujin student, one with glasses and messy black hair, walking around the street while talking to people. I thought her detective phase was over a long time ago; I was wrong because that is in her blood anyways.

She walked to an alleyway where that student with glasses was, in front of Protein Lovers gym. I ear dropped her conversation, talking about some investigation about looking for a name for some mafia boss, I doubted she would let things go because that is suspicious. A man with cheap clothes walked to them offering quick money work to those two students, and she opened her mouth making that thug being mad, the other student defended her. Good thing he was by her side, who knows what that guy would do to her.

After the thug left the alleyway, I was surprised she thanked the student for defending her from that guy, I usually never saw her like an apologetic type, kind of a friendly tone. I was behind a corner while crossing my arms, without being noticed by them. Whatever she was doing in Shibuya it was terrible news for her, trying to get involved with criminals and exposing them, naïve as always. I was waiting for her to give a piece of advice for her.

"Still playing the Junior Detective, are you Niijima-san?" I was lying behind the corner while crossing my arms.

"Did you were listening to my conversation there? That doesn't concern you." She gave me her trademark glare while she turned at me.

"Ok Miss Perfect, you should already know that those issues do not concern to a student like you either."

"It does concern me because some students are being dragged by shady business at Shibuya."

"You might be right about protecting your students, but you are doing a huge mistake."

"What kind of mistake?"

"You should stop with this wannabe-cop nonsense. Those people are hazardous for a high schooler, and using those students to search them for you is the lowest you can get. Are you trying to look good for that goodie-two shoe Principal? What did he offer you, a letter of recommendation for the best college in the country?"

"That's…"

"Because let me tell you a little secret. You are not the first student to being bribed by such shallow promise."

"How did you know that, and why should I believe you?"

"Take a wild guess."

"Wait…Don't tell me he…"

"Yep…he did offer the same thing to me, even if I wasn't the top student from my grade."

"And why should I listen to you about those things? That was a matter of the students. A civilian has no reason to interfere."

"That's right, it is something doesn't concern me at all, but to be fair, I'm more worried for you and those kids before you get into deep shit. Even if I'm no longer your senpai, you still need to listen to me because I know by experience, regardless of who you think I am."

"You don't understand what is going on!"

"I know that, and I don't want to. Whatever is going on between you and those guys, I won't forgive myself if people I know end up dead for foolish choices!"

"I never thought you cared for others besides yourself."

"I always do, but I'm more afraid that people around me get hurt because of myself!"

"Senpai…."

"Do you know what the worst enemy is for society? I'm sure you know the answer."

"….. Is…ignorance?"

"Ding-ding-ding! It is because if people like you don't know about the consequences of one's actions, we are losing our right to freedom. That is why you are still stuck where you are. No matter how academic successful you are, you still become useless for others if you don't take the initiative by yourself!"

"Huh..u..useless? I…." A tear showed up on her left eye.

"Now, if you don't want to disappoint people, better change that attitude." That was rude of me to say this to a woman, but that was necessary for her to make it understand my point. Before I could say more to her, she was standing in front of me while looking me at the eyes with fierce.

"Don't call me useless, you piece of shit! She was furious, never saw her like that before.

"What a surprise! Are you calling me a piece of shit because I'm calling you useless? Now that is what I'm talking about!"I was oddly happy about it.

"Why are you so happy about for?" She was confused about my change of mood.

"Don't you see? You are proving me wrong; people will always are going to claim things they don't know until you show them what you worth for. Nobody should call you useless, but if they do, you have to know when or how to respond to that."

"Why are you telling me this? What kind of benefit you gain to insult me and then praise me?" She was utterly in blank without any idea of why I was treating her like that.

"I'm saying this because you still need to learn how reality works. People will eat you alive if you don't act by yourself. It is easy to commit mistakes while trying to please others."

"Ok let me understand this: A criminal like you, is trying to teach me about life. It seems that you underestimate me." She said it while smiling.

"Ouch, that hurts me. Is this how you repay me for giving you useful tips? Calling me a criminal? THAT'S TOO FAR FOR YOU!" Her comment pissed me off.

"We can call it even then." She was mocking me with that stupid smirk."I have no reason to keep listening to you. So have a nice day."

"Hey, we are not done talking. You need to...Hey! Don't ignore me! Wait..."She kept walking down the street before I could say anything else.

"Fine, don't expect me to help you if anything happens." The nerve with that woman. I doubted she cared about my advice. She made me worried about her and that guy about their investigation. It made me feel tired. "Criminals huh?" I don't even know what I'm supposed to be at that time. After finishing buying some stuff from the convenience store, I ran into a punk with blond hair.

"Oww be careful where you run into!" I said that to him in my worst mood.

"Sorry, I'm in a hurry." He took his time to apologize with me for a moment before he was continuing on his way.

"Did a guy like him just apologized to me?" Even if that was brief, I wasn't expecting someone with that appearance of his being polite at the very at least; well not all people are what appear to be. I wished it could be that easy for me. For some reason I remembered the last time I talked to Makoto, it was at her Father's funeral two years ago. My old man respected hers with immense gratitude, saying he was one of the few men who served to protect the people he loved. I didn't care at first, until I saw her wholly shattered, unable to talk or express some emotion. Those vivid red eyes became lifeless after seeing her father gone. A different person, if only I could do something to help her at that time. I was the useless one.

Two days after, I went to work at Crossroads Bar for the evening. It felt like a typical shift, my boss Lala Escargot always watching for Ohya Ichiko, a journalist from the local magazine, she was a workaholic on both senses of the words, always looking for her next scoop and cold booze.

"Is something wrong, my dear?" Lala asked me.

"Mhh? Nothing wrong, Lala-chan, just tired of my morning shift from my other job."

"I can give you the free night if ya don't feel good."

"It is not necessary, I appreciated though because this place is calm despite Shinjuku is lousy."

"Damn Straight! This place always has great ambiance any night of the week!" Ohya joined the conversation.

"You only like this place because nobody would bother you while you are drinking," I replied with my deadpan attitude. "By the way, I thought you wouldn't come here because you have work tonight."

"I'm working right now, just waiting for someone to come here."

"Who is the poor guy this time? I'm feeling sorry for whoever will show up here."

"It's no big deal, just someone who wants to trade info with me."

"I better have the bottle on stand by for you, because I will talk with Lala-chan while you 'work' with that person."

"Don't feel sad, I can talk with you if you want to." Ohya winked at me; which I wasn't amused.

"No thanks," I said before someone entered the bar.

"Welcome, welcome" Lala greeted as always to the person he came to the bar. "How old are ya, boy?"

What the hell? That guy was the same who was with Makoto two days ago at Shibuya. Why was he doing here? I thought high schoolers weren't allowed to walk around Shinjuku during these hours. I hope is not what I think it is when Ohya mentioned about waiting for someone.

"Sorry, Lala-chan. He is with me." Ohya said with a big smile. I wasn't happy though.

"Ooh, you picked up a real young this time…Just don't let a minor to drink alcohol, ok?" Lala said it with such calm.

That guy walked towards Ohya, almost like they knew each other before. What was the hell going on here?

"Lala-chan, I'm going to borrow the seats in the back. Go on, back there. I will treat you with some water." Ohya and that guy with glasses moved to the seats of the back, to have a private conversation.

That was getting odd every time he shows up: First, he was helping Makoto to find the Criminal Boss at Shibuya. And then he was trading information with Ohya-san. That became suspicious the longer this guy appeared wherever I was; he was some enigma. Despite his docile appearance, he emitted a strange aura that made me feel goosebumps like he was from one of my Arsene Lupin books.

I wasn't able to hear what they were talking about, but I had an impression that is about the rumors at Shibuya. Something wasn't reasonable, entirely not normal at all. Whatever he or Makoto were trying to do, this just made me uneasy with the idea of getting involved with criminals. Should I interfere at that time? Do I need to help them from being dragged for dangerous business or worse? Whichever was the case, things become complicated

"Lala-chan, can I get a refill for this kid? We need to make a toast for new acquaintance!" Ohya said it loud, and with the whiskey already kicking in.

After that guy left the bar, I decided to ask about what they talked about moments ago. I was hoping she willingly could tell me some information without any issues now that she was under the influence of alcohol.

"Hey Ohya-san, did you get a good time with your informant?"

"It was great! That kid had info, even a reliable source about my next story!"

"That is great, what is your next story?"

"It is an interview with a victim from Kamoshida's abuse. He gave me his ID to call him another time."

"Kamoshida? You mean the Olympic Medalist that was arrested two months ago?"

"Yep, of course, I had to give him some info as well if I wanted the interview."

"What kind of info he asked you for? If is not a problem."

"Just rumors, but about a crime boss in Shibuya, his name was supposed to be Junya Kaneshiro." She said it like if it wasn't important.

"Kaneshiro, huh? I'm sure are just false rumors, people talk too much because how heating up is Shibuya at the moment." Although that name sounded familiar for some reason, not sure where exactly.

"Isn't too risky to give such info to kid like him, Ohya?" Lala commented about that.

"It is not your problem, Lala-chan. Just like he said, most of those rumors usually tend to be false. Maybe I should send a message with an update to that kid if I find something else about it." She sounded serious about him.

"Lala-chan, I will go outside to get some fresh air for a moment, if you don't mind," I asked her.

"You can go, my dear boy, just comes back before the regulars show up; it's almost time for the happy hour."

I went outside to find that guy and warning him about this investigation nonsense, but I couldn't see him anywhere nearby. He most likely left the district shortly after he went Crossroads. "Let's get some fun; you are so young to leave so soon." Oh no, I knew those voices, those were from those colorful guys, how annoying. It seems they were already busy to notice me; I moved faster before they do see me. I decided to walk around if he appears again.

"Good evening." Mifune-san greeted me when I passed in front of her.

"Good evening, Mifune-san. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. Are you here to make me reread your Luck?"

"Not really, but I wouldn't mind though." I was about to pull out my wallet for my Luck reading.

"It is not necessary to pay me." She refused my 5000 yen.

"Why not? It is bad for your business if I don't pay you for Luck reading" I said it with confusion.

"Your Luck is pretty odd every time I read it, almost like goes in zigzag or stays in the middle. I won't ask you to pay me until it changes." She was modest; I don't blame her though because my Luck is bizarre.

"Ok, instead of Luck reading, can you read my future or something else?"

"I can do that; sit down while I shuffle the deck." She started with the Tarot process. She thought me how to read Tarot cards because I'm interested in occultism or any other form of mysticism stuff. My Luck is so unnatural, almost like there is not good or bad luck. Falling in the middle where the concept of win or lose is practically nonexistent. Mifune-san is a pretty good fortune teller, most of her predictions are accurate, and something I never ask her for a regular fortune reading because it never changes.

"Mhh, interesting…" She said it with amuse after finishing the card reading

"What is it?"

"Do you know what this card means?"

"It is the Tower Arcana, meaning an upcoming tragedy. Wait, Is something bad going to happen to me?"

"Not necessarily, the card is in the reversed position which means is not too serious. Although, it acts as a warning, so it is easy to assume you are not safe yet. The outcome can be positive or negative depending on how you see it. I recommend you to look at your surroundings, so you don't miss the warnings." She gave me another lesson about Tarot reading.

I was truly curious if my fortune had something to do with Makoto and that guy about their investigation. I already warned Makoto, but it looks like something is going to happen regardless of what I said to her. Talking to her was a mistake? Did I make things even worse? I didn't like the odds. It looks like I would need to keep an eye on them until I can be sure they are safe from any danger.

"Thank you for the reading, Mifune-san. I will try to pay more attention around me. By the way, do you have any Holy Stones that I can buy? I know my luck is not going to change anyway, but at least to give me some boost."

"I'm sorry, I don't have for the moment, but I don't think you would need one anyway. Besides, you told me you are trying to save some money for your studies right? My Holy Stones are too expensive, that would be bad for your business, don't you think?"

"Touche." She used my own words against me.

After saying goodbye to her, I thought that was time to get back to work. I couldn't believe that my warnings were useless to Makoto. Did I say something that would make her continue with this? I should guess it that getting on her way was a bad idea. Every time I was trying to help someone with any problem, it just made things worse for them.

I can't help myself to intervene in other's problems. Tomorrow would be Sunday, which means I can go to Shibuya all day to watch for those kids if they are going to do something. I only needed to keep my distance and call the police if things go out of control.

That name, Kaneshiro sounded too familiar for someone who hides under the cop's noses. Whoever was means bad news, why bother to get near to him? If those kids were trying to locate him, expose him or else. I will get killed if I intervene even further. I stayed far from other people, fearing that others would suffer because of me.

I always have been considered as bad luck trinket for any person gets close to me. I thought getting away from my family was enough, but a tragedy always followed me wherever I go. After tomorrow, things would go for better or worse. I sensed change, never felt so attached to others a long time ago since I lost my friends; I don't want to feel empty again.


	2. Stuck in the past

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

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It was on Sunday at Shibuya. I was sitting next to the Lottery Booth while watching the people passing by from the train stations. If my intuition was correct, they would reunite around Station Square because it was really crowded. People would not mind about teenagers hanging out around here. I saw him, he was accompanied by another two guys and a chick, but Makoto wasn't with them though. They were standing in front of a dog statue, just talking and sometimes saying random words that I couldn't get. They were standing for an hour, which became tedious. The only words that they kept repeating were; "Kaneshiro," "Bank," and "Shibuya" I had no idea what was for.

Just bored out of my mind, I stood up and bought a lottery ticket despite my bad streak. I felt a chill when I turned to see them as if they disappeared out of the blue. How the hell just happened? Was I losing my mind? Because the moment my sight was on another direction away from them, and suddenly I lost them like nothing. Maybe they moved to Central Street if they were still looking for information. After an hour and a half of wandering around the area, they completely left Shibuya without a trace. What was going on? It was impossible for teenagers to move so fast without being noticed by any human being. I walked around the area, the only area I didn't check was the alleyway behind the arcade.

"Yo! Looking for easy money?" A thug with exercise clothes approached me on the same alleyway.

"Sorry, not interested." I refused his offer; it was obvious he was with the people doing suspicious business.

"Why not? You look like someone who can accomplish any job right." He insisted despite my previous answer.

"Hey, I said I'm not interested. Besides, I already have a job so don't bother me again." I was starting to lose my patience.

"Hey, Smart-Ass, I offered you easy money, you can't reject me just like that." He was pissed off.

"I just did it" After saying that, I walked away from him. He grabbed me from the collar before he tried to threaten me.

"Seems I have to force you to take this job, don't you think?" He was trying to behave like a hotshot, I just head-butted to his nose, making him bleed. "Owww, you ass, I will make you change your mind with my fists."

"Go ahead, make my day. I was getting bored anyway." I gave him my intimidating glare. I felt his fear, making him stumble like a bitch.

"Tch, whatever, I'm not going waste my time. Better watch your back asshole!" He ran away from me, all words but can't hold by his own.

There is no such thing like easy money in this life. I couldn't believe students fell for that bullshit. I couldn't think of any places where that guy with glasses or the others could be. I saw a shop in the same alleyway I was. "Untouchable" was the name labeled outside. It was the store Iwai-san owns since he stopped working for my family. I was wondering if he had something to share with me.

"Mhh?" Iwai-san was sitting while reading a magazine when I entered the store. "Look who shows up. What can I do for you?"

"Long time no see, Iwai-san. You are looking good after retirement."I complimented him, I think he smelled my sarcasm.

"Yeah, what brings you here? I doubt it is for any business."

"It is business, my own."

"What kind of business are we talking about then?" He looked curious about me.

"Nothing special, I wanted to ask you if you saw a guy with messy hair and glasses."

"Is he a Shujin student?"

"Yes, he is. Did you saw him?"

"Saw him? Hell, he is even helping me to clean the store during the evenings. Why? Is he a friend of yours or has something to settle with you?"

"None of that, we kind of have a mutual acquaintance. I'm just making sure they are fine."

"Well, it's none of my business then. But if you are asking if I saw him today, I didn't."

"Ok thanks, I guess. Now that I'm here, minus well buy something from your store."

"What are you interested for? Handguns, shotguns, rifles, ask me what you like the most."

"Mhhh, This one looks great." I pointed to the double-barrel shotgun model.

"You have good taste: Lupara, a sawed-off shotgun model. It is Italian, used for hunting wolfs. Why are you interested in such a model?"

"I like to collect western stuff. Just like revolvers, those are good weapons that pack a punch while holding with one hand."

"Okay, before selling you that, I want you to answer me one question."

"What is it?"

"Why you left your family?"

"Does it matter? You left them too for your personal reasons."

"Yes, I left them for a better life for my son. But doesn't mean I forgot them."

"What is the difference? You already know that I want nothing to do with them."

"That doesn't mean you have to ignore them. When you know there is nobody else for you, the family is always there. I'm not saying you have to go back to them, but don't forget you are all that they had. Don't disappoint me on that." He said it with his terrifying stare while aiming at me with his lollipop.

"No promises." I stared him back without breaking my cool.

"Alright, here you go. Don't show it in public, not even your folks will help you with the cops if they catch you with that."

"I'll keep it in mind, say hi to Kaoru for me."

"Take care."

After exiting from the store, it made me think how simple it is for him to leave them to focus on a more personal issue. For a tough guy like him, really let his soft side takes him over a long time ago. I was really jealous of how he managed to do that without being worried if his past will come back to haunt him again. Being an adult sometimes sucks, teenagers complain about jobs, social activities or school, while I was struggling more for my place in society because it seems that I had nowhere to go in this life.

* * *

Whatever was the case, I was still walking around Shibuya with no signs of those teenagers. I gave up until evening, already late for them to show up. It was better to eat something before heading back home. The Diner was the first thing I saw; it was a better option than cheap fast food. I never liked fast food from any sort. After sitting and ordering my meal, I heard a voice that I hadn't listen from a long time ago.

"Oh, is it you, Katsuo-san?" The person that talked to me was Akechi Goro. Yes, THAT Akechi Goro; the famous young detective that appeared on TV lately.

"Hey Goro, long time no see." I put a small smile.

"I'm certainly surprised to see you again here." He looked really happy.

"I would say the same thing. Six years, right?"

"Yes, it really felt like ages, but it is good to know you are not in jail yet." He said jokingly.

"That is really funny of you, Mr. Detective, because I'm not laughing. Just to give you an update, I'm not with them anymore."

"Oh, did something happens to them?"

"Not much, I wanted to live independently after graduating."

"I see nothing grave then. Mind if I join you here?"

"Are you really going to eat in this place? I thought you only dine in fancy places." I was confused about why he was doing here.

"I usually do, but I skipped lunch because of work. Here was the first thing I saw while passing by." His work sounded really demanding and strict.

"Feel free; it was already depressing table for one."

"Thanks." He took the other seat while looking at the menu.

Akechi Goro, I never expected to see him again after all those years. Since he started to become a famous detective, we stop hanging out together because of how busy he was at the moment. Now that he is with the law, I would expect a little bit of hostility towards me because of my past. In reality, he was still friendly with me as always, only to a certain degree. We talked about things that happened to us over the last three years until he came up with an interesting topic.

"So, what do you think of those Phantom Thieves?"

"Is this another interrogation? To be honest, I don't really care much about them." I wasn't really sure how I feel about them in reality.

"Is that so? I wasn't expecting a neutral response about them." He sounded unsatisfactory of my answer.

"Well, I heard you from that show you were no too long ago. I can't say if both sides are right about justice."

"You look undecided. It is not too hard to think which one is more certain about justice."

"The problem of the why I can't decide is more the fact how the government and laws are so flawed as those guys." I never trusted the government or the police if anybody asks me about it.

"So are you saying we are not good to deliver justice?" Goro looked like he was ready for some kind of debate.

"More like nobody is good to deliver justice, I'm more for fairness on people in general." And yet, I felt unsure about it.

"Fairness, huh? I can see what you mean, but don't you think it is flawed too?"

"I'm aware of it. No philosophy is perfect; there are always pros and cons. It just depends on oneself and how to deal with it, whether if it influences others."

"You might be right; it is not easy to convince other people to support a single person. Although the idea of each one of us has to deal with our problems individually is not as simple as it sounds. Darwinism is never the answer, letting others to solve their own problems creates instability and chaos. The government was created to able to solve people's problems as long they respect the laws. Of course, people like you wouldn't be able to understand that."

"Say whatever you want, I will respect the laws, but that doesn't mean I would trust either side. The only person who I will trust is only me." I was hoping that is the right answer for me.

"Be careful what you wish, I don't think you would be able to handle things by your own in this life. The reason how I'm successful in my line of work is because I needed to rely on people's approval and trust in being able to make justice to any criminal. Even your people rely on trust to expand and growth."

Goro told me in the most brutal way, what a total prick. Although, I have to admit he is now capable of holding by his own now. Despite him saying that people are necessary to succeed he was really good to handle with other adults and media by his own merits; truly deserved to be called the Charismatic Detective.

And what am I? I rejected my name and place because I wanted to become a better person. It seems life was really unforgiving when it comes to reality. I really wanted to be independent, but I can't even do that right because I dragged myself into this annoying investigation with Makoto and the other guy. I was afraid of emotional attachment because it would be really poisonous for anyone who is closer to me. You know, it made me remember someone from my childhood, a friend of me and Goro. Just like him, the other guy left us when I was 12. If Goro is a detective, maybe he can have a lead about him.

"Now that I'm done responding your question, I have one for you."

"What is your question then?" He looked curious about what I was about to ask.

"Are you still in contact with Souta?" I was wondering if Goro was still in contact with him.

"Sadly, I don't. I only talked to him since the time he moved somewhere else with his mother six years ago." He sounded sincere, neither he was able to see him again.

"I was expecting you would use your detective skills to search if he is still around."

"I will try if I have the free time. It's not easy to access info from each citizen around the country." He was uneasy about that.

"Well, thanks anyways." What a letdown.

* * *

We left the Diner after paying the bill from our meals, we paid separately. Just at the moment, we stepped to the street, the same thug from earlier showed up with his friends looking for revenge. Another huge mistake for them, it would not take too long before they noticed Goro was with me.

"That's the asshole that broke my nose!" He said to his friends.

"What is the problem, gentlemen?" Goro intervened between those thugs and me.

"Your friend broke mine's nose, and I'm not going to stand here without making him pay for what he did." The other thug said that to Goro.

"Ok, just to make it clear: It was self-defense because your friend was threatening me. That is really stupid of you are looking for a fight with me in public." I replied.

"I agree, not really the smartest choice for them." Goro said with such calm.

"Nobody asked for your opinion, dumbass." The broken-nose thug said it.

"OH SHIT!" The third thug noticed of Goro with fear.

"What are you afraid of?" The second thug asked the third one.

"That guy is the Detective from the TV!"

"WHAT!?" It was a new record, they took longer than expected to notice him.

"Oh crap, let's just leave, dude. I don't want to be arrested by him." The second thug said with panic.

"Tch, fine, I got enough for this day to deal with him now." The thugs left the street afraid of us.

"Still picking on fights are you?" Goro stared at me with guilt.

"As I said, it was self-defense." I replied with confidence. "Are you still a pacifist? I hope you don't have a problem with that."

"I don't have any problem with that if you are so sure about it, and yes, I will keep being one as long I serve the law."

"I think it is for the best. You never were a troublemaker like Souta and me." I felt with relief knowing that Goro is still that kind of person.

"Well then, seems we part ways here. It was certainly a pleasure to have a mature talk with you again; maybe we can go to play darts or something another time." He said it with his trademark smile.

"I agree. See you around Goro." I said with a weak smile.

"Stay out of trouble, Katsuo-san."

Just as we walked in opposite directions, it made me feel nostalgic about seeing him again after all those years. He was totally a different person from what I knew. He was able to overcome his problems now that he was a respected detective. Always in total control without the fear of what others say about him. Why the people I knew are going well than me? What made them alive despite their issues from the past? I just felt like a loser after seeing those people advancing in life. Sometimes, I wished to have the power to help others, but they were capable of supporting themselves. I didn't want to look weak in front of anybody, either people I know or strangers.

I always had that façade since I was a child. It was easy to look calm and reserved so nobody would ask about me or my life at home. Never had many friends, Souta and Goro were the only ones that genuinely knew about me, but they never cared who I was, which made me happy about having trusty friends. Getting separating from them was indeed a heart-breaking moment.

I know that I was talking so down of myself, but it is not easy to ask any person with an honest opinion about me. It was better to tough it up living in solitude. Now that people are trying to the foolish actions, I was hoping that my moment to do something for others came after seeing Makoto trying to help her classmates with those people at Shibuya.

I was hoping to pass by in case of something terrible come out while working. I couldn't afford to screw it again since I just lost sight of them right in front of me. The next day was going to be a long day for me. I was thinking: Those teenagers that were with the guy with glasses, were also helping with the investigation too? That was just getting more dangerous with even more people getting involved with. What a day.

* * *

It was on Monday. The traffic in Tokyo was the worst thing during the morning. My stress levels were rising per second; trying to look for those kids, and stopping them from going even further before things go full bar.

That was a total nightmare. My mind kept the priorities on the following order: Jobs, Makoto and co, bills, groceries, bike maintenance, the monthly Ultra Jump, Hyper Featherman's new episode.

I never mentioned what kind of delivery job I had; it was a courier job. Despite being outdated, people still order things around the city when they don't have the time to get themselves. It doesn't pay as much as working in Crossroads, but being able to ride around the city with some fresh air is never a bad idea, except when it comes to traffic.

I didn't have to worry about those kids because they were at school. I doubted Makoto would skip classes just to walk around Shibuya without getting attention from any cop. Now that I was thinking about it the other day, I should bring a book if I have wait hours like the last time.

When I stopped at the gas station to refill my bike, I checked my phone to see the hour. I noticed something weird on it: A strange-looking app with the form of an eye appeared on the main screen. I pressed it to see what kind of function had.

"Please enter a name, a place, and a keyword" it was navigation app. Why would I need another navigation app if my phone already had one? It must be downloaded by itself, damn you advertisements. I deleted the app like the trash it was. After finishing with my bike, I headed back to my work with even more deliveries than before on the way. It took me hours until it was already afternoon. I finished with my job which made me feel tired. When I was passing near Shibuya, something caught me off guard.

I finally found those guys while getting into a cab. They looked in a hurry; I couldn't let them see me, so I stayed far with a reasonable distance while riding my bike. The traffic was being crowded than earlier, so I started to lose them again, so many cars from the same color as the cab.

So close yet so far to lose them again. Why is always that hard to find them? This was getting ridiculous for me trying to stop them. That time wasn't good; almost make bash my head against a wall for my cursed luck and losing sight of them every damn time.

I end up just going circles without results, already evening and I was starving. Just when I get the idea to drop this shit and better continue with my life, I got the jackpot. Makoto, the guy with glasses, and the others walked outside of a nightclub.

So they finally appeared, judging by their faces they looked worried, Makoto was really sad. She looked apologetic to them, whatever she was saying, nothing good came out of that place. I never saw her behaving like this with me or others. I was hiding behind a vending machine, but I couldn't hear what they were talking about.

After they were done talking, Blue-haired guy started walking, while the others followed him. I decided to follow them as well without being noticed. The students kept walking until they stopped at the middle of Central Street. I didn't know what they were planning to do next, but I won't let my sight separated from them this time. "Please enter a name, a place, and a keyword."

That voice, they were using the same app I found in my phone earlier this morning. What the hell is wrong in this life? The blue-guy started to say the following words to his phone: " Kaneshiro Junya", "All Shibuya," and "Bank." Those words, now things became clear: The app was using those words to locate specific people and places. They most likely had an idea of where Kaneshiro is.

Why did they want to go after him? It didn't matter; right before I left my hiding place to warn them about that reckless choice. I felt that chill again like yesterday when I was spying those guys in Station Square. "Starting Navigation." The phone said it.

From one second to another, something shocked me that my eyes weren't able to comprehend what I saw from that moment: They disappeared out of nowhere, like magicians in a show. Was I losing my mind? Being delusional? Whatever was the case, there was only one thing that got stuck in mind. "Are they the Phantom Thieves?"

Whatever it was: Illusionist, smoke mirrors, voodoo, black magic, stunt doubles, or a good elaborated a prank. No matter how many things I came up to answer about it, nothing like that could ever happen in this life.

If those guys are the Phantom Thieves, probably Makoto was dragged into this shit too. I made up my mind if she is now involved in risky business and that guy was one of them; I would not stop until I find answers.

"Oh crap, what the hell I am thinking? I started to sound like Makoto. Please, for fuck's sake, somebody wake me up from this nightmare!"


	3. The Bogeyman

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

 **Katsuo:** I'm sorry, Lala-chan. My other job really made a number on me. I wanted to ask you the free night, at least only for this time.

 **Lala:** Don't be ridiculous, my dear boy. You don't have to ask me if you don't feel good. Just tell me, and I will wait until you get enough rest.

 **Katsuo:** Thank you, I will get some. I'll be back before Ohya-san finishes her glass.

 **Lala:** I don't think you are that fast enough, my dear.

 **Katsuo:** Fair enough. See you tomorrow.

 **Lala:** Get some rest and be careful on your way home.

Lala-chan can be really a benevolent person, sometimes too permissive. Good thing she never minds about the free night because of how much I work for the whole day. After all, an adult like her caring about young people really brings me some relief. Always her kindness for others was her main trait that anyone who knows Lala Escargot would acknowledge. I wished I could think the same way about caring for people, what a hypocrite I am.

Now, of what I saw on that evening. What the hell was that? How? Why? Disappearing like that was not okay. They didn't look like using a portal or any sort of transition; they just became transparent into nothingness.

Nobody else saw that, because who knows how many questions would emerge from that. I lost sleep while trying to understand that. Makoto was being dragged by those teenagers, who most likely are Phantom Thieves, into this mess with the Criminal Boss. I know a few names from other bigger fishes, but none of them are in charge of Shibuya, so probably they are new in town. I had nothing to hold my ideas of what happened during the last few days.

I was lying on the bed of my apartment, that place was really small. There is nothing but barely basic furniture, a small sink and oven, and a claustrophobic bathroom. It really wasn't expensive, but it was kind of cozy. I was exhausted, never thought my stress levels would go beyond my limits. Why was I feeling so weak so sudden? I got worse days before, but this was different. Maybe was about being aware of the imminent danger Makoto was getting into.

What the hell was I thinking? She got into this herself, why would I care about her well-being? I can't ignore anyone who made poor choices in life. She was with those Phantom Thieves; maybe she was safer with them. Why so sure of that? Nobody was sure if those people are good guys. They were trying to locate the Criminal Boss and maybe take him down. It can be anyone; including me could be a target because I'm a criminal. I'm not a criminal, I'm not a criminal, I'm not a criminal, or am I?

I would regret this but seems I had to discover the truth about those people and stop this madness. I was absolutely done with doing nothing for others. Sorry Goro, sorry Souta, but I had to break my promise. I witnessed something people can't comprehend, and I not allowed getting involved in this, but I can't overlook this. I was losing my mind.

Shibuya was busy like always. I followed the blond-hair punk to where they would reunite on one of the train stations. Everyone was there, including Makoto. They started to talk, but I couldn't hear anything again because I needed to keep my distance. I was able to understand why they bother to risk their life to target such dangerous person.

I almost forgot, they used that weird app to transport where Kaneshiro is. I deleted it without knowing what was for days ago. I was afraid I screwed up my only to follow them, but that thing was still in my phone like nothing happens. I wouldn't complain about that moment because it was the only thing I needed to find the truth.

I had to comment, the idea to use a public place to hide was both clever and stupid. Hiding in plain sight was clever because a lot of people pass so fast to change lines or minding their own business. However, they never crossed their minds that maybe someone they knew or else could notice them and discover their activities, just like me. Then again, not many people can suspect them that easily without some work and thought process.

They were standing on the way in front of the window while looking outside. Whatever they are planning to, I was hoping to replicate the same entrance method. Unlike other times I lost sight of them right away, I had to let them have some time of advantage. I need to follow them but not allowing them to discover me, so I had to wait an hour or so after they disappear on to go wherever this app leads to.

Just when they disappeared into nothingness again, I had to be prepared if anything happens on the other side. The model gun I bought from Iwai-san minus well helps to scare anything on my way. I was shaking; not knowing what kind of place they would be is enough to feel uneasy.

That method of transportation was unconventional, weird that nobody knew about this app a long time ago. If I recall correctly, the app needed certain things before using it: Name, location, and keyword. What a strange app, requiring such information. Without hesitation, I said all the words needed to go where they are: "Kaneshiro Junya" "All Shibuya" and "Bank."

"Starting navigation." said the voice coming from the app.

"Here goes nothing," I said this to myself, feeling unsure of what was going to happen to me.

I felt another chill through my body like other times they used while I was present. The surrounding didn't change much, except no people around and the sky was dark. Something didn't feel right, maybe going to Central Street. I would be able to see the difference, and boy I saw the difference. Not only there was a huge UFO sucking yens like a vacuum from the sky, but people around Shibuya looked like ATMs with arms and legs.

That place was bizarre beyond logic, and there was supposed to be where Kaneshiro is. The UFO left a road to aboard on them, the top of what looked like a bank with giant golden pig statue and yen symbols on the front gate. Whatever was that place, somebody really loved money, almost make me feel sick about how bad the aesthetics of the place was. I couldn't see anyone outside, no signs of Makoto or the others around the front gate. Going inside the back was the only thing I could do, but the front door was busted, I wondered what happened there.

The only way I could find was a hole next to the pig statue, how convenient there was a secret passage. Once finally inside the bank, it didn't look that bad at least with the interior. The main hall looked like a regular bank, with the exception of the stalls that resembles a church. If this place is where someone worships money, then that person is really bad in the head. More people ATM humanoids around, but they looked broken than the ones outside of this bank.

From all things, they weren't the only one there: There were security guards with yellow suits and breathing masks while patrolling around the area, it would be troublesome if they caught me snooping around. I walked around to the other area; I saw an elevator, some stairs, and a door. Those guys patrolling around really made feel nervous, but it wasn't time to lose my cool. The door was already open, maybe this leads to a way where they are.

Walking down the stairs, the floor felt like a labyrinth. Somebody has to fire the architect of that place because it was really inconvenient to move around without getting lost. So many doors, yet too few places to go, most of them were dead ends. One room, in particular, felt safe; there were no guards, or dogs, but not humans beings either. Seems those guys already covered a lot of terrains, if for some reason I had no problems to trespass around without difficulty about locked doors or such.

The last place I went to was some sort of place with a huge safe blocking the way. It was locked with two panels on each side, it required keycards. It looks like they are not there yet, so where are they now?

"What are you doing here?" I heard a familiar voice behind me before I could turn to see who it was.

"What the eff is this guy doing here? Is he a Shadow?" A guy with a skeleton mask was surprised.

"I don't think so; he doesn't look like one of the guards." The thing resembling a monster cat said it with confidence.

"Then, who is he?" The girl with cat-suit said it with curiosity.

"Senpai?" The other girl with the rider outfit was surprised, judging by appearance and eyes, it was Makoto.

"So it is you, Niijima." I was really shocked to see her in that getup and acting like one of them. "I have to guess you are the Phantom Thieves that people are talking around, but seeing you acting like one is something I never saw it coming, Niijima."

"Can you tell me who this man is, Queen?" The guy with the fox outfit asked Makoto.

"He is…was my senpai from last year at Shujin." Makoto explained to everyone, I felt their confusion.

"So, why is he doing here?" The guy with domino mask and suit asked to her. I know who he was.

"You!" I pointed at him with my index finger. "I know who you are. You were the guy that was helping Niijima around Shibuya and trading info with Ohya-san at Shinjuku. So you are the one in charge." Now things started to make sense. He looked like the leader type for a calm person.

"Wait do you know him, Joker?" Makoto asked him about that, almost looking upset at that guy and me.

"Now you mentioned it, we saw him working in that bar where the reporter was." The monster cat said with disappointment. "Had we were being followed by him this whole time? This is embarrassing as a thief."

"Whatever that….thing said…you are the worst thieves I ever met in my life." I said it with amusement.

"Can you explain to me how you got here?" Makoto asked me with a really angry tone.

"The same method you guy used: this weird app." I showed them my phone with the app.

"What the..? He used the Metaverse App!" The skeleton mask guy said it, knowing what I was talking about.

"The What?" I was confused if they were referring to that app.

"No time to explain, we need to get you out of here before the Shadows appear!" The cat-suit girl exclaimed with desperation.

"Wait a minute, I'm not going anywhere until you answer me my questions!" I was demanding them for some info of what was happening.

"It doesn't matter; this place is dangerous for a person like you." Makoto said it, made me angry about what she referred to.

"What do you mean by 'a person like me'? Look, I'm not going anywhere, even if you force me to leave, I will come back here anyway." They looked undecided of what to do with me.

"What should we do, Joker?" The guy with the fox outfit asked his leader.

"It's already dangerous letting him go. Our only option is to let him tag along with us until we are done securing the Treasure." The leader was confident of his choice, better for me.

"Are you sure about it? We are risking his life if he goes with us!" Makoto wasn't happy with his response.

"Hey, I'm not going to get in your way if you have to fight. Better have a damn good explanation when you are done with whatever you are doing in this place." I stood away from the safe, waiting for them to their job.

Two of them were in position, each one in front of a different panel while Makoto and their leader were standing in front of the safe.

"Ok….Let's try turnin' it all at the same time." The skeleton guy said it while waiting for the cat-suit girl to be ready.

"On three, two…!" She made the countdown until the safe opened.

"This took some time, but we managed to force it open" The fox-suit guy claimed.

"Great teamwork, everyone." The leader congratulated to his fellow thieves.

"Yes, I agree. The cooperation of our whole team is what helped us through this particular ordeal." She was smiling with satisfaction.

Teamwork, huh? It made me feel bad because they looked like they can depend on each other without worry. I had to admit, they made my work easier because they went through so much trouble only to open that safe. What a pain was listening to them.

"Dude... There is money all over the floor…" The skeleton-mask was surprised; I would be too if I saw all this money, maybe I could grab some on the way.

"So he took all this from the weak…" The monster cat commented about the money.

"He is going to pay for this." Makoto sounded determined.

Wait, this money was being stolen from innocent people? It seems I have to put aside my dreams until this issue is solved. Kaneshiro was taking money from students at Shibuya. What petty man, acting like some schoolyard bully. From what I could get from their reactions, he sounded like a despicable man. When we walked into this hall made of glass, we saw someone. There was a fat man in a white suit accompanied by another two guards while blocking the door at the end of the hall. Who looked familiar somehow, is he Kaneshiro?

"Seems you made this far." The white-suit man said it with a sinister tone.

"You were expecting us here, didn't you?" Makoto looked at him with anger on her eyes.

"After you defeated two of my best men, I think it is time to stop you here, right now." He looked composed, yet it made me feel like I want to punch this guy in the face. "Mhh? You! I never saw you with them before." He was pointing to me. "Have we met somewhere before?"

"Not that I could remember, but I have to say, you looked like the kind of person I would hate your guts." I felt hostility towards him.

"Oh now I remember, you are that brat from the family I left a long time ago. What a surprise." He smiled with a stupid grin. "Looks like I got lucky to take my chance to get rid of them finally."

"What?" It threw me off guard about him saying he wants to take my family down. "Now I remember, you were that debt collector who left them. It looks like you went independent after all."

"What the hell is he talking about?" The skeleton guy asked for much he wanted to understand my situation.

"He… is from the Fujin Clan, one of the most powerful families of the country." Makoto explained about my family, it was painful to be reminded me of that fact.

"Wait, is he a member of the yakuza too?" The fox-suit guy asked Makoto to be sure if that was true about me.

"Not just a member, he is the patriarch's son and heir." Makoto looked really ashamed to share that important thing.

"WHAAAAT?" Everyone shouted with shock, kind of expected reaction.

"Hey, I left them too because I'm not a criminal like them or that fat-ass right there." I was really angry about it. "My name is Ryuunosuke Katsuo! I'm not part of any group. Why everyone calls me a criminal when I don't even want to be part of them?"

"Such a fool, you think you are a freeman because you just change your name run away from them." He smiled with malice. "Once born as a criminal, you are always going to be one. Accept reality as it is, we are not so different about it."

"What are you implying, Kaneshiro?" I was curious.

"You can work for me; maybe someday you will get as much money as me so you can accomplish your dream." He tried to make some bargain.

"How the hell do you know that?"

"You think I don't know anything about the other families while I'm trying to do business at Shibuya? I know everything about you, I was waiting to kidnap you and do ransom for your family. I can see we are not so different; we wanted to be our own man. How about it? These can the best business you could ever imagine." You really make doubt of my place in this world.

"Betraying my family for some money? ARE YOU NUTS!? The hell I would do such thing for some selfish reasons." It was nothing but the madness of what I heard.

"Katsuo-senpai…." Makoto was shocked to see me like that.

"Well, seems that I would have to the original plan and do the ransom. What a worthless criminal, but at least I can have some use of you." His smile started to make me even angrier than before. This guy has absolutely no respect or values about this life, is always about profit.

"A worthless criminal, you say?" Something struck my mind, I finally understood. I did nothing other than laugh about it. "You think I'm a worthless criminal? Then let me give you some news for you! I'm not a pathetic loser like you who thinks that every person has a monetary value. Maybe you are right; there is no way I can be other than a criminal. Do you think you can compare to me as one? So be it, if I'm one, then you are nothing but the same stupid good-for-nothing debt collector thinking you are above everyone else because you have filthy money from innocent people! I'm so sick of this life! I'm sick of living in obliviousness while others suffer for pity reasons. This is not how life works! You know what? I will show you how to respect someone properly, you fucking maggot!" I was feeling so angry about him thinking that this life was about eating or being eaten. That was when I heard his voice.

" _Feeling empty?_ "

I was in pain, my head started to spin while hearing that voice.

" _Tired of how society reverts to old ways? Humans can be true savages...Not knowing why they are wasting their lives...You denied society because of your status, embrace it now! Know your place in this life! A person claiming to be over the chain food is such a disgusting thing to say by someone without real power...Where are my manners? If you truly wish to get rid of such pest, why not strike a contract? Such power can be your greatest chance to redeem yourself."_

I was on my knees while trying to hold myself from screaming in agony.

" _I AM THOU, THOU ART I."_

" _ACCEPT YOUR ROLE IN THIS DRAMA! TIME TO SHOW THEM WHAT FEAR MEANS WHEN THOSE PUTRID HUMANS HEAR YOUR NAME AND RUN WITH DESPAIR."_

"I understand it now." I was standing up while holding a mask attached to my face. "It is time to enter on stage. Hannibal!" I ripped off the mask, leaving a trace of blood all over my face.

" _I AM HANNIBAL, SCOURGE OF SHADOWS, ONE WHO HUNTS FIENDS WITH BLOODTHIRST. BRING ME THEIR HEADS AND PUNISH THOSE ANIMALS CALLING THEMSELVES GODS."_ I summoned a humanoid being with a metallic mouth and is covered with a huge red coat with fur while hiding his claws and his black suit.

This power, I didn't know what exactly was but it felt good. I never thought to be overflow with such magnificence. Now that I had Hannibal, it was time to make him felt like the piece of shit he is. One of his guards tried to hit me with his baton, but I stopped him while Hannibal lifted him and holding from the arms and legs. He tore apart that thing in two with such brutality while the black goo scattered all over the floor. "So, those are not humans. It is fine with me. I'm just warming up for the worst coming to you, Kaneshiro!" I was nothing but wrath incarnated. Before he could do anything, Kaneshiro sent another guard. This time, it transformed into black goo while transforming into one Chivalrous Fiend and four Zealous Messengers blocking my way to him.

"All security, hold your positions and send reinforcements! We are not going to be afraid of some p-petty thieves!" The Chivalrous Fiend said it while feeling intimated of what Hannibal did to his friend.

"Are you not afraid of me? Fine, allow me to give you ninety-nine reasons to start calling me the Motherfucking Boogeyman!" After getting ready for what appears a long battle, but I wasn't alone.

"Do think you can fight them by yourself?" The monster cat said this to me while wielding a huge sword.

"Back off! This a matter between me and 'Uncle Pennysack' right there. Don't interfere." I said to it while holding a chain with my right arm.

"You are not the only person who wants to deal with him. We are not letting you do anything reckless." The leader said it while he took out his knife.

"We are doing this as a team; don't risk your own life fighting them without proper planning." Makoto was holding two brass knuckles on each hand while doing a fighting stance.

"Fine, I'm not going to be responsible if anything bad happens to all of you. Curse them all, Hannibal!" As holding my mask while Hannibal cast black magic to all the enemies, knocking down only 2 out of 4 of the Zealous Messengers. I cast again only killing the first 2 while knowing down the last ones, the Chivalrous Fiend didn't suffer too much damage.

"Alright, I will put fear in your soul!" Hannibal extended his arms and laughed at the red monster, making it shaken.

"Let me deal with it. Come Arsene!" The leader held his mask with his right hand; he summoned a being with black wings and red suit, doing a powerful strike that knocked it down as well. We got the upper hand. "Hold on!" he shouted while everyone, including me, aimed our guns at them.

"It is time for an All-Out Attack!" The monster cat shouted the assault signal, that was the part everyone went full rampage on them. Killing everything on there, but it was far from over.

Two Chivalrous Fiends appeared accompanied by three Prankster Leaders. "Damn, the reinforcements came." The monster cat was upset of more enemies appearing.

"Ok, time to scare them of with this!" I pulled my double-barrel shotgun while aiming at them.

"Shoot them!" The leader gave me an order.

"What?"

"Just pull the trigger, trust me." The leader smirked, sounds like waiting for a pleasant surprise.

I pulled the trigger, the model shotgun shot like a real one. It made jack and shit to the red monsters, but it killed the Prankster Leaders with only two shots. One thing that made me said: "Huh, neat." Now with those two on the field, time to try one more trick Hannibal had to offer. "Hannibal, punish it!" He cast a straw doll with needles, killing one of them instantly.

"Not bad, but let me show you how to make it with true skills. Here Zorro!" The monster cat summoned a swordsman bandit using his rapier to knock it down so easily despite not doing too much damage, I was impressed though.

"Baton Pass, Mona!" The leader requested to change places with it for a better attack strategy. He used a bunch of cards to cast light, killing instantly too. The bad news was more reinforcements came for another round. There were one Tornado Devil and two Human-Eating Ladies for this fight.

"Oh come on! Do I have to kill every single one of them just to reach Kaneshiro?" I was getting annoyed by the reinforcements coming every time we defeated those monsters.

"Don't let your guard down; we should be already done with them..." Makoto at least tried to give some relief of this fight. "Move aside. Go, Johanna!" She summoned a motorcycle with a face. What the… Was she riding it? Cast energy spheres to the enemies, knocking down the Human-Eating Ladies, only leaving us to deal with the Tornado Devil.

"One more and we are done. Hannibal, chomp-chomp!" He appeared launching himself while biting twice the Tornado Devil, made it stand on its knees.

"Hold It!" We made the same formation from before by surrounding the enemies for another assault. "It's over!" I shouted while attacking them from all directions. At the moment we stopped, those monsters were standing like nothing until I walked a few steps and gave them the Thumbs-down.

"Veni, Vidi, Vici" Tragedy fell upon them. They exploded in black goo. That battle was over.

* * *

Hannibal-The Hunger Arcana (La Faim)

Stats: Null/Curse, Resist/Psy, Weak/Bless

Skills:

Double Fang

Eiga

Maeiha

Mudo

Evil Touch

Rakunda

Persona Background:

The infamous serial killer based on Thomas Harris' novels. Known for his high intellect, education, and appetite for his victims' flesh. While not very liked for everyone for his actions, he is considered both a bless or a curse as he targets other criminals who commit crimes far hideous than his own.


	4. Not Alone

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

"Kaneshiro! Get back here, you son of a bitch!" I saw him running way while we were fighting those monsters. I chased him down to the door where he was standing in front of when we entered a hallway made of glass.

"Hey, wait! Don't go alone!" The leader tried to stop me. I didn't listen to his warning because my mind was under an unstoppable rage.

Kaneshiro made fun of me, mocked me, he wounded my pride and my family's honor. I always said that I don't want to be involved with them, but not deserving the worst of me. He was the Fortunato of my Montresor, and just like that, I was hoping he would meet the same fate as Fortunato. Someone had to teach him how to respect others, even yakuza members should know about honor and courtesy. Without them, it doesn't make you any better than an everyday thug who doesn't progress in life.

Sorry guys, but I had to go ahead by myself from now on.

When I opened the door, he went to another one from the right. I chased him to there, but at the moment I crossed that door locked itself. With no turning back, I decided to move along into those halls with office desks and surveillance cameras. To me left there was a large window, showing all the money where fatso had been hoarding for a long time. He was a disgusting man.

From the other side, there was another hall like the one I was, but the Phantom Thieves were fighting those monsters in such narrowed space. It looked like a race from what I could see. I wouldn't let them fight Kaneshiro unless I am the one giving the punishment he deserves. I sneaked and ambushed enemies on my way, which it was sort of difficult because not many of them were weak to curse spells or were resilient to Hannibal's physical attacks. Each move I made started to worn me out, never thought that using such power can consume me physically or mentally. The best way to save energy was by using this chain with a hook attached to it and my shotgun from Iwai's store.

At the end of the hall was an elevator, which was convenient for me, too convenient if I had to suspect. I took it to move on; he most likely was on the first floor. Hoo boy, who could ever imagine that fighting like this would be hard? Not only that but while the elevator was going down something caught my attention. On the elevator walls that I could saw my reflection, I was using a weird outfit that resembled renaissance clothing.

It was entirely black from the torso with armor plates on my shoulders. The sleeves were in pattern from red and black that looked like flames. I got a cape from the same pattern colors only covering my whole right arm. The gloves were also black with red only on the fingers while holding spikes from the knuckles. I was using black pants that were spacious and easy to move. The boots were large up to my knees and also armor plates covering my toes. Finally, I was using a devil mask with small horns with a design that looked like from the ones at that time. I didn't get why I was using that, but the textiles from the clothes were nice though.

So when I awakened this power, I got this outfit. What was the meaning of that? I had no clue about the purpose of using that get up. The Phantom Thieves were using costumes too; I had to assume that they had this power before me. For how long she was with them? If her sister discovers this, is going to be one hell family dispute. I couldn't imagine if my parents would find this too despite saying I would never do any sort of criminal activity. I would look like a goddamn fool.

The elevator stopped; there was a huge room with a lot of stairs. Kaneshiro was on the bottom of that room, waiting for me. I walked down until where he was while another guard was by his side. What a coward was letting others fight for him while watching, I hate people making others fight each other for one's entertainment.

"Looks like one of my special customers arrived; I hoped you enjoyed your stay here." Kaneshiro was standing there, thinking he was untouchable.

"I have to say. You got the worst bank: No signs for directions, no friendly staff, and no restrooms. The only thing I have to admit is the taste for interiors, too bad you failed in everything else. What? Not enough money for a better architect? What a cheap asshole." I felt confident in my skills.

"That is going to be solved once I'm done to kidnap you and the Niijima girl." He smiled mischievously.

"What? Are you talking about Makoto? She has nothing to do between you and me!" I was angry because he involved Makoto in this.

"Don't you know? She and her friends owe me 3 million yens."

"3 million… WHAT!? Why?" That was a stupidly high amount for teenagers.

"They just pissed me off. If they don't want the photos being leaked at their school, they have three weeks to pay me."

"Are you serious? They owe you that much because you got mad? How pity you can be?"

"I tried to offer other payment plans, but sadly they reject me. Her sister could make a good profit if only she weren't so annoying to deal with." His eyes were wide, looking so repugnant. "Both are beautiful women, perfect for being my slaves."

"Go ahead, because if you lay a finger on her, I will cut that finger to make you swallow it like a candy." I was getting furious about what he was planning to do with Makoto and Sae-san.

"Fine then, let's see if you can deal with my top security guard." He let his guard stepped on front. "Try not to damage him too much. He will be useless if I can't do negotiations with only his corpse to offer." The guard transformed into a Demonic Warlord, a Floodbringer Demon, and a Tornado Devil.

"Well, shit….." I wasn't too happy to fight with all of them at the same time. I pulled out my shotgun to damage them. The blast wasn't powerful enough to make them flinch a little. The Tornado Devil buffed its leader while Floodbringer Demon used ice magic on me; it froze me like an ice sculpture. With no way to defend myself, the Demonic Warlord moved towards me, and with a single strike, it shattered me with all its might. I took massive damage which left me lying on the floor losing consciousness. For the first time in my life, I was finally defeated in a fight with a sour taste in my mouth.

"Is he still alive?" Kaneshiro asked the Demonic Warlord.

"He is still breathing, sir. Want me to carry him to your office?" The Demonic Warlord asked him while waiting for orders.

It was hopeless. I wasn't able to move because of how injured I got. I never got a chance to fight them all alone. No matter how much I wanted to help someone, I expected someday to end up dead because of my luck. I gave my best shot, and I screw it anyway. Sorry, but it was the end of the road.

When the Demonic Warlord tried to grab me, an event which I would call it deus ex machina happened: "Matador!" someone shouted while damaging the Demonic Warlord.

"Captain Kidd!" Another person also shouted while damaging the Tornado Devil with lightning.

"Carmen, go!" Another one made the Floodbringer Demon sleep.

"Johanna!" I heard Makoto voice throwing an energy ball to the last one, killing it instantly.

"Sorry for the wait. We got some inconveniences along the way." The fox-suit man dragged me out of the fight.

"You are quite troublesome, good thing we came in time." The monster cat was happy that I didn't die. "Queen! Joker! Finish them all quickly, he needs our help!"

"Got it" The leader nodded to the monster cat.

"Understood" Makoto replied too.

The Phantom Thieves came to save my ass from a terrible fate. I saw blurry, and I was able to hear only. Why? Why wasn't I strong enough to protect them? "Let…me…go" I tried to talk, but my voice was so low.

"Sorry, you are in bad shape." The monster cat told me.

"You aren't in good condition to keep fighting. Don't worry. They can handle them easily." The fox-suit guy informed me while carrying me from the shoulder.

I saw them annihilating the monsters one by one. They were stronger without my help. Just like that, they emerged victorious against those monsters. Despite their victory, Kaneshiro ran away once more.

"Where is Kaneshiro…!?" Makoto looked around.

"Grrr, he took off while we were fightin'..." The skeleton guy was upset.

"Yes, he seems to have been in a hurry. He left this behind." The fox-suit guy picked up a notebook from the floor while still holding me from his shoulder. "R=C=0, I=1, H=2…What could this mean?..."

"It doesn't matter right now. We need to get him out of here." Makoto asked them to carry me into a safe place.

"I saw a Safe Room right there. Hurry up and take him there!" The cat-suit girl ordered everyone else.

Their leader carried me from the left shoulder while walking across the room. When we entered, I had a warm sensation inside that room. We were out of danger. They put me on a sofa while one of them gave me some medicine. I barely was able to stand by my own.

"Where are we?" I asked them while still feeling light-headed.

"We are in a Safe Room; Kaneshiro has no control over this place." Their leader told me the state of this room.

"Kaneshiro? Where is he? I will make him to…Owww." I jumped from the sofa, but I was so pumped up that I didn't notice my pain until then.

"Hey, stop moving! They harmed you pretty badly." The monster cat tried to hold me on my seat.

"Sorry, he escaped while we were fighting." The leader apologized to me.

"What were you thinking? You know how much worried sick I was while knowing that you almost died!" Makoto was upset with me, almost trying to cry.

"Take it easy, Queen. He just tried to help us." The leader calmed her down.

"No, she is right. It was my fault being stupid of thinking I could handle Kaneshiro by my own." I was disappointed with myself. "Without you guys, I almost kicked the bucket. Such a weakling I am. I don't even deserve your pity on a person like me." The mood of the room felt depressing. "Just end with this, put me out of my misery."

"Man, don't be so dramatic. A thank you is all we need." I was shocked to hear such kind words from skeleton-guy. "Someone weak wouldn't say somethin' like that. You showed us how stronger you are of admittin' your limitations."

"That is really kind of you saying that, Ryuji." The cat-suit girl complimented him.

"He is right; a man recognizing one's weaknesses is a sign of improvement." The fox-suit guy complimented me as well for my actions and words.

"Why? Why you are telling me this?" I was confused about how they were treating me.

"Because you are not alone in this, we are impressed with your courage." The leader respected my actions; despite I did nothing but being a fool.

"I'm not alone?"

"We accomplished this together, and I'm glad that you awoke your Persona." Makoto smiled towards me, and I felt her warm honesty.

"Persona?"

"It is the power of the heart. You chose to reject Kaneshiro's ideals, and you acknowledged to no longer living in ignorance. Sounds familiar?" Makoto tried to imply something. I got the idea.

"Yes, now I get." I felt Hannibal nodding with satisfaction in my heart. For the first time in a long time, I wasn't feeling alone. "You know guys? I tried to act by myself because I was afraid of being a load for you. I mean, I just got here like none of my business and starting to act like one of you. Isn't that funny?" I was laughing at how things turned around. "I guess I can't do anything except knowing when to fold 'em."

"Speaking of which, can we call it a day? Everyone is looking tired to continue." The monster cat expressed concern for the other's well-being.

"I agree. Let's go back." The leader told the others to move out of this place.

"Now returning to the real world from Kaneshiro's Palace. Thank you for your hard work." The voice from the app spoke through the leader's phone.

We returned to reality. It was a weird experience, to be honest.

"So, I didn't introduce myself properly. I should guess you already know who I am. My name is Fujin Katsuo, but I rather prefer Ryuunosuke Katsuo because I don't want to attract attention from other people. I already know Niijima Makoto, but I don't know the names from all of you." I asked politely for their names, being honest to them was for the best.

"Sure, I'm Kurusu Akira. As you can see, I'm their leader, but I don't like to brag about it." He was really modest. "This is Morgana; he is our guide and mentor from the other world." He showed up out of Kurusu's school bag.

"And don't forget master thief." He didn't sound so modest though.

"I'm Sakamoto Ryuji, nice to meet ya." The guy with blond hair smiled while presenting himself.

"Oh is my turn? I'm Takamaki Ann, I'm a model, and I could say I like sweets." She tried to be formal, sounded nervous.

"Huh? I don't think you need to tell me anything other than your name." I was unsure about it.

"I suppose I'm next. My name is Kitagawa Yusuke, as you can see I'm not a Shujin student." He was a polite person from his mannerisms. His uniform was from Kosei.

"Well nice to meet you all. I guess I have to make things clear before any of you are asking me a couple of things. I'm done with Shujin, so I'm no longer the senpai from all of you. No honorifics too, I'm currently working so I'm not studying a career for the moment." I was hoping they could understand my situation.

"Why you are not studying a career?" Makoto asked me.

"I'm planning to study in Europe, but I wanted to be independent of my parents. You already guessed why." I felt a little uncomfortable to say about this with other people. "As you can see, I'm saving money, or trying at least because is pretty expensive."

"So you are pretty much an adult, right?" Takamaki was curious about my life.

"Yes, and it sucks." It really does.

"Don't you feel a little bit weird to hang out with teenagers?" Sakamoto pointed out about being friends with them.

"To be honest, I don't care at all. You are pretty mature for a bunch of kids. Well, most of you though." I was looking to Sakamoto and Takamaki because I felt they are still behaving like children.

"Yeah, Makoto was the oldest member of the group so it wouldn't be any different if you are with us now." Takamaki was feeling comfortable to have more mature people on the team.

"But having a real yakuza in the team will change how we are going to operate on our activities." Kitagawa was expressing happiness of having a person with proper knowledge about organized crime.

"Hey Yusuke, don't call him a criminal." Makoto tried to defend me of not letting anyone calling me a criminal; surprisingly I wasn't mad of him calling me that.

"Don't worry, Niijima. It doesn't bother me of what he said about me. I already accepted who I am, but that doesn't define me. Besides, aren't we all criminals too?" I smirked because I knew we were on the same boat. "Speaking of criminals, Kaneshiro told me about your debt, which we are under a time limit to deal with him right?" I used a serious tone about the topic at hand.

"Yes, we have three weeks before he leaks the photos at our school. We need to steal his treasure so he can confess his crimes before the appointed date." Kurusu explained me the situation.

"And how did you ended up knowing that guy? I thought he was tough to find if the police couldn't do it in the first place." I was curious about how they met Kaneshiro.

"I… tried to be the bait to find his hideout." Makoto sounded embarrassed by what she did.

"You know, I would be mad at you if it weren't the fact that I was reckless too earlier. I have not right to complain about it." I was understandable about her choice.

"But her choice gave us the opening to infiltrate his palace, without her we wouldn't be able to have a chance like this." Morgana explained the reason for her actions.

"Palace? Now you mention it. You guys were using terms I couldn't catch on. Can you explain to me those exactly are?" I was curious to learn about all that stuff they knew.

Morgana explained to me all about Palaces, Shadows, Personas, Treasures, and the Metaverse. Despite the plethora of information, I was able to understand everything without issues. Knowledge is power after all.

"Do you have any questions about it?" Makoto asked me if I learned about Morgana's explanations.

"No, I think it is enough."

"For real? Did you understand everythin' about what he said?" Sakamoto was surprised at how much info I was able to get in a short time.

"What? It is not that hard to get once you pay attention to the key points. It was just like hearing Inui-sensei's lessons." It was the best way to compare it with a real teacher.

"Huh?..." Sakamoto was lost in thought.

"Are you serious? You never pay attention to class?"

"He doesn't." Takamaki commented about his short attention span.

"Shut up! How would you know that?" He replied while being upset at her.

"Anyways, tomorrow we are going to talk more about this after school. Make sure you have enough rest when we need to go back there." Makoto told me when we need to be ready for the next time we have to go to that Palace. "I almost forgot, we need your ID if there any other plans during for our activities."

"Sure, there is my number." I exchanged mine with everyone's IDs if they needed to talk with me for an emergency.

"All right seems everythin' is set up. It is almost late so better catch my train as soon as possible." Sakamoto was in a hurry to find his corresponding station.

"Yeah, me too." Takamaki also commented about it.

"Same" Kitagawa wasn't in haste by his expression.

"Well see you tomorrow everyone!" Kurusu said goodbye to the others while taking separate ways.

I went to where my motorcycle; good thing the Metaverse moves to a different time frame than the real world, or I almost got a traffic ticket by waiting for too long. That was a hell of a day.

I couldn't believe I experienced another world, and I became friends with the Phantom Thieves. Goro will now arrest me for sure if he discovers I was one of them, talking about complicated friendships.

Being the only person becoming an adult must be a huge responsibility because of my perspective and opinions in life are somewhat sour. The looked optimistic despite risking their lives to fight corrupted adults. I still do not share such idealistic thoughts; because there are so many things that we can't control even if we want to make things for better.

The one thing that drove me to cooperate with them is how rotten this world was. I hated how people were okay to being conformist while others take advantage of innocents. I wouldn't care about justice or defeating criminals, I wanted to fight the life itself. I didn't like how everything was being shaped, would be me against this world.

I was no longer alone; they taught me to defy society ideals. Thinking just walk away was the best solution because one has to deal with how life works. It wasn't right, life doesn't work like that, but people accepted the idea of being happy for no interfering in other's business. Every person can affect others even indirectly. Goro was right; I can't do things by myself. I have to rely on others if I want to succeed, but I won't just depend on others to do my work.

From the moment I became a Phantom Thief, I finally made the first step to growth and maturity. So many things I still don't understand from that world, but I was sure that with my power I would challenge life itself and its nature to seek my place. I'm a criminal, but I'm human above all.


	5. Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

"Oh crap..." I was still feeling pain from my injuries at the Palace. I had to take another free night; it would be impossible to explain Lala-chan about all that Metaverse mumbo-jumbo. That was definitely my worst week. Two straight nights without going to work and I wasn't sure how many more would be if we don't steal the Treasure before the appointed day. From what Morgana explained to me: We only had to secure the Treasure. In other words, I only need one more night before going back to work. How annoying.

Tomorrow we would reunite again to talk about our current predicament. "We..?" I shouldn't get too attached to them for the moment. I wasn't sure if they were going to survive with me on the group. It is already bad that I did something stupid for my first time in that world. There's no turning back, I had to test my luck if we can succeed despite my odds.

 **Ryuji** : Hey Katsuo-san! Did you get your train on time? I didn't see you walking to any station after we departed.

 **Katsuo** : I don't need it.

 **Ryuji** : Why not?

 **Katsuo** : Because I have a motorcycle.

 **Ryuji** : That's so cool! When did you get one?

 **Ann** : Did you start this chat only talk about bikes?

 **Katsuo** : It was he who started this topic.

 **Ryuji** : I was just curious.

 **Katsuo** : Just to satisfy your curiosity Sakamoto: I got my license during my second year, but I got the bike until the end of my last year.

 **Ryuji** : Why that long to get the bike?

 **Katsuo** : I wanted a better bike, scooters are so boring.

 **Ryuji** : What kind of bike you have?

 **Ann** : Would you stop talking about bikes already? You could do it in your own chat without us here.

 **Ryuji** : I just wanted to know him better as a new member of the group.

 **Katsuo** : Takamaki is right; you only send me messages for more important matters on group chat.

 **Ryuji** : You too? You didn't object to answering my questions!

 **Katsuo** : I was hoping you would stop asking me, looks like I was wrong.

 **Ryuji** : Dude! That is too blunt to say to someone!

 **Katsuo** : So?

 **Makoto** : Alright enough you two. We should talk about important matters tomorrow as we agreed.

Like always, she had the last word in any conversation since we were kids. It would be really difficult to deal with her from now on. Then again, it wasn't the time to talk about trivial stuff until we dealt Kaneshiro. It was better to get some rest and be ready for what was awaiting for us in that bizarre place.

It was already late at Shibuya from the next day; they were already waiting for me on what we had to do before heading to the palace. I arrived late because I had to leave my bike at home. I'm sure that after my first time experience in the Metaverse really made a number on me. Using the trains wouldn't be a bad idea because it saved me the problems for parking and some traffic accidents. There was one thing I wanted to say before doing anything else.

"Hey, before heading there, I want to address one thing."

"What is it?" Takamaki asked.

"Who chose this place as our hideout? I got the feeling somebody will discover our activities sooner or later because we are being exposed." I was really unamused about how ridicule was this place. Everyone stared at Sakamoto.

"Why is everyone looking at me? You all agreed about this place too." He really felt attacked by everyone's blame shift.

"In any case: Yusuke, do you still have that notebook which Kaneshiro left behind?" Makoto had something in mind.

"Yes, there you go." Kitagawa handed over a notebook from his pocket to her.

"The pages afterward have been torn out as well. Could be a code from sort?" Makoto was examining that notebook carefully.

"If we're not gonna figure this shit out now, we should just go back to the palace, yeah?" Sakamoto was being straightforward about infiltrating right away.

"Considering Kaneshiro's reaction, the last elevator should lead us to the innermost part of the bank." Morgana was deducing about our next move. "If so, it'll be the most secure area as well. Let's make sure we're ready for whatever awaits!"

"He can run or hide all he wants because I will catch him before he gets the chance." I was really pumped up for what awaits us in that place.

"Before going, I have one simple rule for Katsuo he needs to follow if he wants to accompany us there." Kurusu had a word with me. He sounded serious.

"What is it?"

"Promise us not to chase him again; we are only going to steal his treasure without risking a chance of causing him a Mental Shutdown." He sounded dead-serious.

"Mental Shutdown, is that even possible?" I didn't know if that would cause him like those incidents from the previous months.

"That is something we are not so sure, but we can't afford it to risk our chance to prove our justice as long we keep following the steps." Morgana explained to me about the what-if scenario.

"Fine, I will only follow you guys, no promises if he tries something that would risk your lives otherwise." I had to promise it, even if I didn't want to.

Kurusu took out his phone and started to use the Metaverse app to tell transport at his Palace. It always gave me the chills no matter how many times we were using it. "Starting Navigation" We arrived at the bank.

"Alright, I think is a good time to choose a codename for you." Morgana was expecting this for me.

"Great, I was waiting for this." I really was.

"What? How did you know about the codename?" Makoto asked me with surprise.

"Isn't it obvious? All movies and books about thieves always have some sort of alias for their characters. Also, I heard you and Kurusu being called Queen and Joker respectively."

"Man, he nailed as Queen about these codenames." Sakamoto was surprised as well.

"Well, we don't have all day talking, better chose my codename now." I was really excited.

"Mhh, what about Oni?" Sakamoto just pulled the simplest one.

"Nope, too obvious because of this mask."

"What about Jester? Your clothes look like one." Takamaki tried to put more thought.

"Sorry, but can you be a little more creative? Jester sounds way too similar to Joker, so I rather chose myself."

"So which name you want to be called?" Makoto asked me about my option.

"Mhh….Faust"

"What?" Sakamoto looked confused.

"Faust, it means 'Lucky' in Latin and 'Fist' in old German."

"Why that name?" Makoto didn't get my reason why.

"I like to play with the irony like theater; I'm always being considered an unlucky person. With this power, I will bring glory to my allies and ruin to my enemies." Sounded childish but that is how I felt.

"That is elaborated." Sakamoto wasn't sure about my codename.

"Do you have a problem?" I stared that clueless blond-guy, hopefully not to scare him too much.

"I think it is fine. You really looked like an acknowledged person." Kitagawa agreed with my code name without a problem.

"Say the guy who was agreed being called 'Aburage' as the first option." Sakamoto was looking upset.

"It was your suggestion." Takamaki intervened.

"Ok, that is enough! Just tell me your names and let's move on because we are already wasting time." I really lost my patience discussing this.

"Sorry, their names are: Morgana is Mona, Ryuji is Skull, Ann is Panther, and Yusuke is Fox. You already know mine and Makoto's, so it should be enough." Kurusu, now Joker, told me everyone's names while getting into his now more confident attitude. He truly looked like a leader type.

"One more thing before going back: What happened to the front door?"

"Oh, you mean 'Queen's Escape Route'? It was awesome! She really saved our asses." Skull was smiling about what Makoto; I mean Queen did to that door.

"Could you please not talk about it?" She, on the other hand, was more embarrassed about it.

"I can see that." I wasn't sure if to laugh or not of how she did, her Persona is bike so most likely she ramped into it.

Joker used the app to transport us to the last Safe Room we were when they fought Kaneshiro's guards. What a convenient method because I would hate to walk all over the bank again. Why this Palace had to be so complicated to move around?

We walked to the elevator after leaving the Safe Room right in front of us, which was too small for six people and cat. With a tight space like this no wonder why only one or two shadows used this at the time. We just moved down to whatever the treasure is until we noted something from the windows.

"Hey, look." Mona appointed of what was below is from the elevator. It looked like a labyrinth.

"Wh-what the hell? Are these all vaults…!? How messed up is this guy!?" I couldn't be more than agree with Skull. He is sick.

"Are we supposed to check all these for the Treasure!?" Panther looked worried about doing too much work.

"Hold on, this distinct shape… Could it be…" Queen noted something odd about the shape of this place.

"What's the matter?" Fox looked curious.

"If my prediction is correct, we won't need to check every single of these small vaults." Queen had something on mind.

"For real!?" Panther was surprised.

"… That is, I hope. I'll explain why once I've confirmed my theory."

"I don't know what you have in mind, but I'm hoping you are right." I was really curious about her theory.

"I seriously hope so too…" Mona agreed with me.

We went to the bottom, that place was absurd of how huge and cryptic is to move around the bank. If this Palace reflects the owner's desires and thoughts, I couldn't imagine how Kamoshida's or Madarame's looked like. Those guys were really narcissistic people from what Morgana told me along those lines of his crash-course. Is it possible for anyone having a Palace? I was wondering that if good people can even have one. I couldn't have one anyway because I didn't go to extremes and I awakened Hannibal not too long ago. It was weird pulling those stunts inside another reality, mostly being in a ridiculous outfit.

When we reached the floor, everyone was intrigued by how huge this place was. Looked like nowhere to go despite more vaults behind another. Something that caught my eye was a panel to dial numbers, I already guessed that must be a way to move around here. Queen pulled out the notebook while Joker pressed the numbers, just as expected, the walls started to rotate giving us more opportunities to infiltrate and find the Treasure.

"Looks like there are more roads for us, too bad it isn't going to be that easy for the other walls." I commented on the complexity of this place.

"True, I don't see another panel, so we need to keep moving and find another one." Joker was thinking of how much exploration we would need to get to the center.

"Even if we find more panels, the notebook is still incomplete, maybe we can find more pages the further we explore this place." Queen explained to us how we had to deal with this infiltration. That sounded annoying.

To make things simpler of how we did succeed on reaching the center of that place: we had to do a lot of complicated and tiresome task such as avoiding cameras while not letting the dogs to see us. The pages were scattered from each other inside big piggy banks. Seriously, who or what designed this place? Isn't already bad enough to avoid shadows, electric fences and being worn out of magic?

Before we were able to advance, another Shadow was guarding the panel right behind it. The bright side was if we defeat it, maybe we wouldn't have to keep going for more walls. I liked it when things become easier after so much work. When Joker started the battle, A Defeated Avenger and two Chivalrous Fiends appeared from that guard. I took the front lines along Joker (as always he is fighting) with Panther and Skull on the team too.

"Alright then, bring it on you freaks!" I was eager to use Hannibal on those shadows, during the exploration Joker explained me the names and uses of the skills I had, I wondered how he knew about my skills but is good to know what I was capable of. "Hannibal, use Rakunda on the middle one!" While just holding my mask, Hannibal extended his arms while doing a malicious laugh at it, making the Defeated Avenger's defenses weaker.

One of the Chivalrous Fiends used Rampage on us: Joker and Skull dodged the attack, Panther only took one hit, but I got the worst with three hits. That really hurts.

"Let me help you with." Panther summoned Carmen, using Dia on me. That was a close one.

"Thanks, Panther, one more or I would be almost out of commission." I was grateful she healed my wounds.

"Okey, let me deal with the big guys." Skull summoned Captain Kidd, being in the position to attack it. "Go, use Head-butt!" Cap used the back side of his ship to hit one of them; it was affected with Forget status. That should give us the advantage.

With no time to waste, Joker summoned a different Persona than Arsene to damage the other enemies. He summoned a skeleton with a bullfighter outfit; it carried a capote and sword. His Persona used Mapsy on the group of shadows. The Forgetful Shadow suffered a lot of damage while its leader was knocked down. Things looked good for us.

"Here is Baton Pass, Skull!" Joker high-five Skull for a boost while changing places. It looked like a simple yet useful tactic; I wasn't able to do it through because it required synchronization from everyone else, Queen couldn't do it either.

Skull used Head-butt again on the other red shadow, it was affected as well. The Shadows were in disadvantage because of Joker's leading skills. He truly was the leader of this gang of misfits, I loved it.

The Defeated Avenger stood up and used Mazionga on everyone. Skull didn't suffer damage while Panther and I were hit with that attack; sadly Joker wasn't lucky and got knocked down by that. The Shadow used Assault Dive on him, but it failed miserably. I took it back. He was too lucky despite his odds.

I summoned Hannibal to keep us ahead of the game. "I hope you like being bitten, Double Fang!" Hannibal launched himself making two bites. It was critical! Hannibal used again on it to make even more damage.

Panther used medicine on the group; it didn't heal much but was better than nothing. "We can do it!" She shouted to us like a cheerleader.

"I got you covered, Rampage!" Skull attacked the Shadows. They weren't lucky punks with three full hits at their asses. They were at low health.

Joker stood up and with his Persona, delivered the _coup de grace_ on them with Mapsy. They never got a chance to avoid his attack.

"Phew, that really was a fight." I was feeling satisfactory because we survived that; I would never commit the same mistake twice of fighting them alone.

"Don't get too confident, we are not even done with the Palace." Queen commented with a feeling of disdain towards me, what a killjoy.

"I know that, but let me enjoy the small victories!" Despite being part of the group, she still didn't like the idea of me being involved. She was in odds with me since we were infiltrating around. I wouldn't blame her for acting like that, but I'm trying to put aside my differences with her while doing my work with them. "Speaking of victories, Joker can you give us the honor?" I moved the way of the panel while he controlled. That panel was different from the others; it had arrows instead of numbers. Joker rotated the wall to both sides until it gave us the right pathway.

The bad news was ANOTHER FRIKING WALL. "Oh come on! Give me a break, another wall!?" I was so pissed because we weren't done yet.

"Calm down, we should go back to the Safe Room before continuing. Sounds good for you?" Joker tried to cheer me up, I nodded at him. We walked back to the closest Safe Room. It was just next to the elevator, how convenient.

"How's everyone?" Joker asked everyone about our well-being.

"I can keep up with no problems." Fox replied while keeping his cool. (hehe, 'cool', sometimes I amazed myself)

"I should be fine." Mona replied too.

"No problem either." Queen was feeling alright.

"How is our progress?" Joker asked us again about the Palace.

"I can feel the Treasure nearby, so we are good." Mona sensed our job is almost done.

"There is one last wall. After that, we should already get the Treasure in no time." Queen explained about our chances.

"About that, I was wondering about Palaces in general." I shared my thought with everyone.

"Mhh, what is about?" Skull was curious about my question.

"Are Palaces always this complex to move around? Because I started to get some distaste about how complicated they are." I didn't like everything about that place.

"Sadly those are always like this, Kamoshida and Madarame weren't exactly a park-walk either." Mona told me with disappointment.

"I think I will hate Palaces from now on."

"Just wait until we get to Mementos. You definitely won't like that place too." Panther added about somewhere else too.

"Memen-what? You know what? I don't want to hear it." Whatever was that place, it was bad news. "So anyway, I think that would be it. Let's move on!"

"Hold on! You looked tired; you should go the back line. I will see who else will take your place in the mean while." Joker tried to stop me from continue fighting.

"What? I'm fine! I mean, I know most of those enemies around this area are stronger or even immune to Curse magic, but I can keep going with physical skills or ailments." I wouldn't stop that easy until we reach the Treasure.

"Joker is right, we won't judge you if you can't continue. Remember this; if you reach your limit, I will drag you out of battle. Do you understand it?" Queen looked dead-serious.

Queen not judging me? As if! Then again, I can't deny they are right about being careful about not overdoing my body. I still need more practice to control Hannibal; he is a bloodthirsty beast you know?

After a small break, we moved to the last area of that damn vault. We sneaked around every corner and wall while searching for the last panel. Something I noticed was every time Joker used a panel; we heard Kaneshiro's voice about trying to be successful and his sick obsession with money. I know my promise with Joker to not go after him, but I can't help myself from punishing him like a punching bag.

After a long trip to the panel and the last notebook page, everything looked good. "We are almost done, that wasn't as bad as I expected." Skull was feeling gleeful.

"Yeah, despite dog guards, electric fences, MacGuffins and other kinds of dangers around here; yeah, everything looked good for us." I don't need to explain how I felt about the area.

"Why you have to be so pessimistic?" Queen commented. I didn't like her tone.

"Why you have to be so annoying?" I replied.

"You smart-ass comments don't help us. Could you stop already?"

"Why I would do that?"

"I'm getting tired to just listen to you. So please, would you shut up already?" The mood around the area became tense of what Queen said. Everyone was silent.

"Oh no, you want me to shut up. What can I do? Oh, I know. I need to leave you behind so I don't have to hear from you. How about I do that, Miss Perfect?" She really got on my nerves.

"Alright everyone, calm down already both." Joker intervened about our argument. "I know you two don't get along very well, that is a way I never put you on the same team. We are a team, so don't try to get in each other's throats like Skull and Mona. If you don't stop arguing, I would ask you both to wait on the Safe Room until we get the Treasure." Despite being a calm person, Joker really sounded serious about this. I never expected him to behave like that.

"Ok Joker, sorry" Queen apologized for such behavior.

"Whatever you said, listening to you is better than dealing with her." I couldn't stop myself from making those comments.

"That's it I'm going to…." Queen was really upset, but she interrupted herself for some reason. "Did you hear that?" She stood silent for a moment.

"Hear what?" I was confused about her sudden change of mood.

"….LOOK OUT!" Mona shouted while everyone spread out.

We got ambushed.

Queen and I were the only ones being surrounded by Shadows while everyone else got out of danger. More Shadows appeared to fight everyone else. That didn't look good for Queen and me being the only ones fighting two Jealous Lovers and two Battle Fiends. Without Joker, Panther or Mona to exploit their weaknesses, there wouldn't be a chance to defend ourselves that easily.

The Jealous Lovers used Psio on Queen, knocking her out. "Oh, Shit" I was surprised how bad things turned on us, my damn luck. Before that Shadow tried to use Psio again on Queen, I had to stand in front of her to use myself as a shield to not let them exploit her weakness.

"What are you doing?" She looked surprised while lying on the floor.

"What it looks like I'm doing? Harvesting cabbages? Protecting you, idiot." I was annoyed by the fact that I was trying to save ourselves and she is bothered with that. Hannibal is stronger against Psy magic, but it still does too much damage including with the Battle Fiends attacks.

"Let me help you then." Queen got on her feet and summoned Johanna. "Diarama!" She healed me because of the too much damage I had to deal from the whole group of Shadows.

"Ok now I'm SO pissed with all of you, get the hell out of my sight you fuckers!" I summoned Hannibal to use Double Fang, not only I did a critical hit on one of the Jealous Lovers but also even stronger attacks that usually is. We never got the chance to use it because we never got ambushed before. That is pretty handy for bad situations.

One Shadow less, I killed another Jealous Lover with another critical attack. With another chance, I felt Hannibal so eager for some reason like he got another trick on his sleeve. "Show them true fear!" Hannibal extended one of his claws to not only cutting one of those Shadows with a swing but also causing Fear status. That wasn't Evil Touch because he did some direct damage on it.

The other Shadow tried to counter-attack be he missed us. "Let's finish this already, Vajra Blast!" She used a multi-target attack, she was able to knock them out even though they are stronger against physical attacks. It was our chance. With no time to waste, we unleashed an All-Out Attack on the defenseless Shadows.

"Fists of Justice!" She shouted on the hammiest way, justice indeed has prevailed. All those Shadows were annihilated.

"*pant* *pant* I think I'm not going to pissed you from now on. I have to admit. You are good at fighting than I could expect." I complimented Queen although I don't like her attitude.

"Thanks, I guess?" She sounded confused and oddly pleased about what I said. She gave me a small smile.

"Is everyone alright?" Fox asked us after he and the other teammates were done with the other Shadows.

"Yeah, thanks for asking, Fox." I replied to him, I felt even more worn out than before. "Although, mind if you can tell me what kind of skill Hannibal used? It wasn't Evil Touch or Double Fang." I looked at Joker to tell me about my new skill.

"Mhhh, you used Terror Claw. It's a physical skill that has medium chances to inflict Fear status." He told me with detail, but he wasn't done. "Not only that, but you have another skill."

"Wait, another skill I wasn't aware of?" It took me for surprised to having TWO new skills, but I didn't think Hannibal could use it.

"It is a passive skill, Adverse Resolve." He gave me the name of the second skill. "It increases your chances of landing critical attacks while being ambushed, just like Skull."

"Skull has it too?"

"Well, more like I had it. I ditched it a long time ago because we were trying to avoid being ambushed for so long. You got lucky on this dude!" He sounded happy with my new skills.

"Huh, Really? I don't feel lucky, but that explains why I made critical attacks on them without fail." Man, two new skills that saved mine and Queen's lives from that unexpected battle. "Whatever the case, let's finish with this Palace already. I will take the sidelines for now." I wasn't afraid of taking the backup team that time. I decided to take their advice about taking a break if I don't feel right.

Joker used the panel to put the last code, we felt something moving outside. Kaneshiro's voice sounded for one last time, with a prideful tone. He sounded like he was untouchable because of having enough money to being recognized. Who says money can buy happiness? That fatso was undoubtedly afraid.

"Let's go back everyone." Joker gave us the order to move on outside. When we reached the walls, the pathway opened just with only an elevator. Our job was done. We used the elevator to enter the vault's interior.

"We found it. It's right here…" Mona appointed to that glowing thing.

"I don't see anything." Queen looked confused.

"You are looking at it." Mona corrected us about it.

"This thing is the Treasure? I was expecting something like a real object." I felt confused too because that thing is what we were looking for.

"From here on we're gonna need this callin' card thing." Skull commented about the something I didn't know what he refers at.

"Calling card? Hey Mona, you forgot to explain to me something!"

"A calling card… I see… Making the target believe that the Treasure is in danger will cause it to materialize." Queen was able to catch it on pretty quickly. "That's quite a bold trick."

"Oooh, now I get it. That makes sense for thieves. I guess?" I really was able to understand that.

"Huh? They understood?" Panther was kind of surprised of how pretty quickly Queen and I figured it out the trick. Mostly her, I was thinking for more realistic situations on fictional thieves.

"Joker, we'll defer to you regarding its timing." Fox commented about Joker's next choice for the calling card.

"Ok guys, let's get ready for the heist!" Mona told us to be ready for the big day. We moved to the main entrance to leave the Palace once for all.

"Now returning to the real world from Kaneshiro's Palace. Thank you for your hard work."

After a long day of working at the infiltration, the only thing left was waiting for Joker's order to send the calling card to Kaneshiro. I never felt so accomplished, but is still far from done. From what Morgana explained to me, those rulers won't let anyone take their Treasures without a fight. If that means punching Kaneshiro in the face, I would be so happy to make the honors.

It was all or nothing.

* * *

Hannibal's new skills:

-Terror Claw

-Adverse Resolve


	6. The First Step

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

 **Ryuji** : When're we gonna send the calling card? We should hurry it up.

 **Ann** : I have to agree, the earlier the better in my book.

 **Yusuke** : There is no assurance he will keep his promise, after all.

 **Yusuke** : What are your thoughts on the matter, Makoto?

 **Makoto** : Honestly, I can't wait to send it.

 **Makoto** : I want to put an end to his nasty crimes as soon as possible.

 **Katsuo** : Ditto, I want to make him cry already.

 **Akira** : I agree.

 **Ryuji** : Damn, I gotta step up my game. You guys are super passionate.

 **Ann** : We'll be ready to go whenever you are!

I was lying on my bed checking my messages while resting after a long day of thievery activities. For some reason, I felt the weight of my shoulders stopped being heavy. I didn't know why I was so calm although we weren't done with Kaneshiro. We should be done planning with the calling card for the next day. The good news was we wouldn't go back there until the heist. I could finally stretch my limbs and relax for a whole day. After a day of fighting Shadows, I thought if I should go back training kick-boxing at Proteins Lover. I needed to stay on shape for any future Palaces.

You know. If they were working as Phantom Thieves since April, that means they got a lot of money from their previous heists. I always said that there is no such thing as easy money in life. Working with them should be a high-risk/ high-reward thing. I was wondering if only sticking with them for the money. I shouldn't sound greedy but it is not a bad goal to achieve. Punching Kaneshiro in the whole face would be a bonus.

Makoto, I still don't like her attitude, but she is far from being a bad person. I should admit that she could be a better influence for all those kids than me. Being just and being righteous are two totally different things between my mindset and hers. I was more afraid if we should work together despite our problematic arguments like earlier.

I mean, Sakamoto and Morgana are always like that, but because of they still immature so it is never a problem for them. Adults discussing can be a whole different matter. Makoto was mature for her age. Granted, she lives with her older sister after their dad passed away and being the school's perfect example sounds a lot of pressure. She still doesn't know how rough real world works after graduating from high school.

 **Lala-chan** : Darling, how are you doing? You didn't come to work lately. Is everything alright?

Oh crap, I knew she would be worried after not going to work after three nights.

 **Katsuo** : Sorry Lala-chan, I got caught up with some important issues. Don't worry, I will come back sooner. I promise it.

 **Lala-chan** : It is good to hear it. I know you are having a stressful week. Your health is more important than anybody else.

 **Katsuo** : What about Ohya-san?

 **Lala-chan** : She is a grown-up woman, which is different.

 **Katsuo** : True I guess, thank you for worrying about me.

 **Lala-chan** : No problem, take care my dear boy.

From all people, I was expecting Lala-chan would be the one being worried about my well-being. Japan's suicidal rate is pretty high due to stress and other factors. I got the feeling if nobody would notice if I was gone. Not in the sense of death, but more like if whatever I do in this life should be worth it at the end. I wasn't sure if my parents would care either. Good thing I didn't go to extremes because I have friends at Shinjuku: Lala-chan, Ohya-san, and Mifune-san. I wonder why I didn't have more friends of my age like Goro, or Souta during my childhood.

I did rest for tomorrow's plans.

Right on Shibuya, in our 'non-suspiciously useless hideout' we reunited for our next move.

"All that's left is the calling card, right? We should send it out at once." Makoto was the first to speak about it.

"I would agree, but it will not be an easy task this time." Kitagawa did sound concerned for some reason.

"Why everyone is with the long faces?" I was curious about the sad mood.

"Because nobody actually knows him…" Takamaki was in the same mood.

"There's so goddamn much I wanna write on the calling card too…" Sakamoto wasn't in his best, not even for his loud tone.

We were standing there while looking to rain outside of Shibuya. I heard the weather affects people's mood, but that was downright depressing seeing everybody like that on an important day. After 7 minutes of doing nothing, Kurusu finally gave us the order to send the calling card to Kaneshiro.

"I guess we should send out the calling card." Sakamoto mood still didn't improve.

"Now the question is, how do we deliver the calling card to him?" Kitagawa was wondering about the deal with this issue.

"Yeah, we don't know where he lives." Takamaki wasn't sure about it either.

"Hm? Why not use the same method as before?" Makoto was making a suggestion. I didn't like what she meant for it.

"Huh? Are you serious? I don't want to be the bad news messenger but of what you did wasn't your smartest move you would come up with." I was concerned that she would risk her life again.

"You will see what I mean. For now, everyone should go back to home. Leave it to me with this." Makoto sounded so confident about her idea. I got the feeling that would involve physical activity. After everyone was dismissed, Makoto stopped only Ryuji and me for something.

"Mhh, what do you want us here, Makoto?" Sakamoto asked her about what she was planning.

"I needed you two for calling card." Makoto replied.

"That is obvious, but why you need me for this too?" I was asking because I doubt Sakamoto would need me to write it unless he needed grammatical corrections.

"We are going to decorate all Shibuya with poster and cards about Kaneshiro, even put it on some cars." Sakamoto and I were shocked by what she was planning to do. "Besides the crafting supplies, we needed clothes to go around without drawing attention."

"Oh, I see. So we are going to make our prey leave its nest. Not bad." I was being impressed by her idea.

"But that means a lot of exercise for us. I don't like it." Sakamoto complained about what we were going to do.

"It can't be that bad, have you ever tried something like cleaning parks or streets during a school trip?"

"Why we would do the cleaning during a school trip?" Sakamoto sounded displeased.

"Never mind, you guys got it easy than us back then." I couldn't believe that those kids were becoming slackers for each school year.

"Katsuo, bring the supplies from the bookstore at Central Street. Ryuji, could you bring us some clothes? It doesn't matter if they are old, we can't let anyone seeing us." Makoto sounded bossy as always. At least I got the easy job before putting the posters. Before Ryuji and I went to our separate ways, Makoto stopped me once more time. "Hey, do you have a minute?"

"Mhhh? What is it now?" I wasn't happy about why she called me for.

"I wanted to apologize."

"What?"

"You heard me well. I wanted to say sorry for prejudging you on everything before." She sounded honest.

"Please stop it. You know it is both our fault. I was the one being rude with you before. It's just…I was being worried that you would do some horrible mistakes. It is not really easy for me to carry all the responsibility on everybody which they are risking their lives."

"It's not your responsibility either. I know that we have our differences, but we need to work together if we want to make Kaneshiro confess his crimes." She sounded determined; I was able to see fire on her vivid crimson eyes.

"You already know I don't care about your so-called 'Justice' like everyone else. Although, it made me furious about seeing defenseless people being treated like trash by corrupted authorities and miserable criminals. You know that I never liked to be called one, but now I hate even more when someone compares me like one of them."

"Like the dragon." Makoto muttered something to herself.

"Did you say something? Well, in any case, we are now part of the same team. Not only that but also we are the most mature members. We should lead the example of dealing with this kind of stuff; both of us took the first step. You did it by taking the initiative for yourself and awakening your Persona were the first step to fully mature as a person."

"What was your first step then?" Makoto sounded curious about my little lesson in life.

"Acceptance" I was feeling proud of now we were becoming better people. "We are still going to keep growing from now on. Don't you think so?"

"I agree, let's help each other with all our strength and spirit."

After a long civilized conversation, Makoto and I started to work on the posters and cards while Sakamoto brought us the clothes and wrote the message for the calling cards. We got separated to cover terrain faster. It was relaxing doing those kinds of activities, with the exception that I had to hear Sakamoto whining all the damn time until he gave me a headache. We kept working until 8:32 pm. That should be enough for the calling card. We left Shibuya while being unnoticed by anyone.

June 23th, that day was the big day. The Kaneshiro's Palace Heist.

Right on the afternoon, Shibuya felt pretty heated with people being curious and excited from what the Phantom Thieves are going to do. I wished to see fatso's reaction to the calling card. We were standing on the usual spot.

"The calling card's been posted all over Shibuya…" Morgana commented about our well-done job.

"A good idea, no? Given the theatrical nature of this one, Kaneshiro must surely have been contacted about it." Makoto looked angry for some reason.

"You truly are the brains of this Phantom Thieves operation! Ryuji, you should follow her example!" Morgana stared to Sakamoto with a sassy tone.

"Y'know I'm the one who went postin' it everywhere, right?" Sakamoto was mad about how he felt underappreciated.

"Also the one complaining all the damn time, I already heard you like the first 20 times. Would you cut it out, please? I did more work than you anyways." I was getting tired of keep hearing him like that.

"Come now, we don't have the time for idle chitchat. Let us get moving." With determination coming out of Makoto's mouth, we felt so pumped up for what is coming to him.

"We're going up against a truly horrible criminal this time." Takamaki was feeling ready too.

"That dick ain't gonna stop us now that we got our new members! Makoto! Katsuo! You remember how all this works?" Sakamoto was doing a quick reminder of how the calling card works.

"Once we steal the Treasure, the Palace will crumble, and the Palace ruler's heart will change." Makoto gave a summary to us.

"And if the ruler tries to stop us from stealing his Treasure, we give him a good old beat down. Regardless of the outcome; our main priority is the Treasure and nothing else." I was finally able to understand how it works.

"Wow, you two got that quick! I think Ryuji's still struggling to comprehend it all." Sure, keep bashing on Sakamoto, Morgana.

"Evil adults are nothing more than garbage, I am not better… I will resolve this, I swear it!" Makoto was on the mood.

"Sounds like you're fired up!" Morgana commented about our mood of the moment.

"We don't sound. We ARE fired up! Enough of this! Kurusu is your call now!" With no time to waste, I was waiting for our leader's orders.

"Are you ready? IT'S SHOWTIME!" After his command, we got transported to the Metaverse.

We moved directly to the elevator where the Treasure was located. After reaching our destination, the glowing thing wasn't anywhere else. Worse, Kaneshiro was already there with his goons too. Behind him was a huge safe, most likely keeping the Treasure away from us.

"Greetings, Welcome to my private city bank." He was mocking us while his goons were getting closer to him. "I'm surprised you made it here alive. It seems you are quite lucky."

"Lucky? Don't be ridiculous." Queen replied to him with disdain.

"Luck never should be an important factor in life, I doubt someone like you without true skills could understand it." I was looking at him, with nothing but pure hatred.

"We're gonna change your heart and make you confess everything you've done." Skull was getting ready to kick his ass. "That'll save all those people who're suffereing 'cause of your shitty actions. Even the police're strugglin' to deal with you, so this'll make the public believe in us too!" Now you were getting too cocky, Skull.

"Those in power work the ones below them to the bone for money. Such is the hierarchy of the world." Kaneshiro tried to lecture us about Darwinism. Somebody should give me a break already. "Just accept your fate as a source of my wealth!"

"We'll never agree to that!" Well said, Fox.

"And hierarchy? You have to be out of your mind." Even Panther knew that whatever he said is BS.

"All of that was forced on me too, you know!? I went through shit until I crawled my way out of the dregs! Now it's my turn to on everyone else and finally have my revenge on the people who threw me like trash, such as the Fujin Clan!" So Kaneshiro compared himself with a cockroach, I wasn't surprised though.

"Excuses, excuses… Do you think you could ever have the balls to gather power all by yourself? Don't make me laugh!" I was really annoyed by his voice.

"Still! Don't you think you're getting back at the wrong people?" Panther got the point.

"What a pitiful man." Amen, Queen.

"It doesn't matter whether you're clean or dirty! Only the clever come out on top! The strong and the smart devour the weak. That is the natural order of things. You damn brats who think you know the world through the shit you read online will make perfect prey." Kaneshiro was getting pissed.

"Wow, have you ever heard yourself saying all that? I wasn't hoping to hear someone saying so many contradictions in just 3 seconds. What do you think, Queen?" I was looking at her for a quick answer.

"Hmph. He is utterly hopeless." She nodded at me.

"It's always the fools who get tricked! Fools who have to pay for their foolishness. And if those fools don't learn well, they have to suck it up and stay as plain stupid fools!" Somebody should tell me it wasn't true what Kaneshiro said.

"Will you just shut it already!?" Skull was feeling annoying too.

"Yeah, seriously man! Foolish this, foolish that. Somebody throw him a dictionary already!" Hearing him just gave me a migraine.

"I guess there's not much point saying to you fools!" Gaaaaaaahg, I was starting to hate that word coming from him. "This is where my gracious lecture ends. Now then, I hope you're ready to work as slaves here for the rest of your lives."

"That's outrageous!" Fox was annoyed too.

"*snicker* I'm gonna swarm all over you… and squeeze out every last yen!" After mocking us with his stupid ass monologue, he stopped moving for some reason. Everyone even his goons looked afraid of him. From a gruesome transformation, he grew a pair of wings and some huge red eyes. How fitting, he just became a fly. "I can take care of myself. Wassup yo!? Now come get some!" Not only his voice changed, but he also became from annoying to repulsive.

"You filthy fly on dirty money… Get the hell out of my face!" Queen reached her limit. She was utterly mad with him. She even summoned Johanna before we could even start fighting him!

"Gyahahaha! Aight, here we go, yeh pieces of shit!" He was ready to fight, and so we.

We were surrounding him, forming like a half circle with him on the center.

"Hehehehe! Bein' young is such a crime! They're naïve, they're reckless, and top of that, they don't even realize how stupid they are." He was terrible at judging others. "Now I couldn't just sit back and not cash in on those idiots, right?"

We were preparing to knock the lights out of him. "Get'em, Joker! This moneygrubber's getting a one-way ticket to redemption" Not the most glamorous things Mona could ever say, but anything was better than hearing Kaneshiro again with his pretentions lectures.

"You are mine!" Joker summoned a different Persona, Flauros, to use Giant Slice on him.

"I would like to punch you on the face, but I want to start with some warm-up. Rakunda!" Hannibal debilitated Kaneshiro's defenses.

"Goemon, strike!" Fox use Giant Slice on him.

"Rakukaja!" Queen summoned her Persona, increasing Joker's defenses.

Kaneshiro tried to use Eiga on Joker; it did some moderate damage on him. "Eat this!" He just punched Queen, what a prick.

"Yo Faust! Here is some boost!" Skull used Tarakukaja on me, the more power, the better I punch him harder.

"Matador!" Joker used Sukukaja on Queen. We couldn't let her get receive damage or miss attacks.

"Hannibal, make him bleed!" With one swing, my Persona used Terror Claw with his sharp claws to deal damage on him, not Fear status though.

"Ahahaha! Yeh're just gonna keep goin' at this to the bitter end, huh? No more games then. I ain't gonna forgive yeh punks for this." He sounded confident, but that didn't matter to us.

"That's our line! You had better be prepared!" Queen was getting ready for some more old fisticuffs on him.

"Oh what an intimidating line you have. Like hell you would ever scare me with that, jackass!" I felt confident about how weak he is in that form.

Kaneshiro started to use Evil Touch on me, and it affected me.

"Afraid? I don't know wh-what are you t-talking about?" I was feeling vulnerable, that fuck was using my tricks! Kaneshiro started to spam it again but in Mona this time.

"Somebody help me." That poor cat was shaken, incapable of moving by his own.

"Hey! Snap out of it!" Panther used a paper-fang to get me back on my senses.

"Eat this!" Skull used Assault Dive on him, which looked painful.

Kaneshiro spammed Maeiga twice; everyone except me suffered massive damage.

"HA! You made me jack shit with that!" Hannibal was immune to Curse attacks. I was lucky on that one.

"Let me help you." Queen cured Fear on Mona, and it was necessary for us.

"Zorro!" Mona used Media on everyone, what a life saver.

"Shiisaa!" Joker used Double Fang on Kaneshiro. He wasn't a lucky punk.

"Ngh… Aaagh…" Kaneshiro fell on his knees, leaving him vulnerable,

"Keep at it, everyone! Corner him!" With that order Mona gave use, every single one of use pointed at him with our guns. Things didn't look good for him.

"D-Dammit…! Yeh goddamn punks…!" Kaneshiro's voice sounded weaker.

"Show no mercy! Let's finish him!" Mona shouted at me.

"It would be my pleasure! Kaneshiro! Get Over Here!" With my chain and hook, I threw at him by the legs, dragging him on the floor to me. Despite his shape, he wasn't that heavy as I would imagine it. After lifting him with the chains, I hold him upside-down like a goddamn fish. "Look what I caught! Hey, Queen! Let's soften some meat, don't you think?"

"I'm on it!" without hesitation, Queen started to throw hooks, uppercuts, jabs, and kicks at him like a punching bag. She was an outright beast with him, and even I was afraid of her. After a brutal beat down from our fearsome advisor, Queen kicked him with such magnitude that he was launched towards the safe, being even more cornered than before.

"Tch… The hell? Yeh punks're stronger than you look… Looks like I gotta bring out my big guns…!" He was desperate.

"You're all buzz and no bite!" Mona was confident after showing him who is the boss now.

"Why you just don't give up already? I'm getting tired of looking at your face!" I was feeling eager to bring him more pain.

"Hehehe… We'll see about that… Time to roll out…!" I didn't like his tone. "Here he is…My guardian robot!"

Ummm, what?

He flew towards the open safe, the wall started to change. Just behind the wall, and Holy Shit! That was the biggest piggy bank I could ever see in my whole life.

"Gyahahahahahaha! Yeh ready to die!?" He laughed maniacally at us through the speakers.

"A pig!?" Mona was shocked as well like everyone else.

"It ain't a pig, yo! This is my Palace's swine-model defensive mechanoid, Piggytron!" Is this guy serious? Somebody give me a goddamn break already!?

"Whatever that thing is, I hope everyone likes pork-chops because I will TEAR THAT THING APART!" I was getting obnoxious about how things escalated from bad to stupid.

"Goin' against me's a real bad crime, yeh know? It's time for yeh all to go to hell!" He was being ridiculed serious.

"Dammit…! I didn't expect he'd have something like this up his sleeve! Joker! Have us regroup if you think we're at a disadvantage! We need to take down that giant robot, but we'll be in trouble if it attacks us when we're weakened!" Mona warned our leader about this unexpected turn on the battle.

Piggytron launched itself up to the air, causing a ground pound move that shook the earth. Everyone dodged, but it was too dangerous to get nearby. If it wasn't enough, that robot used Gatling guns to shoot wild on us.

"Take cover!" Joker shouted at everyone, we got behind of some walls that belonged to the safe.

"Rats! How the hell are we going to stop that thing? It got an arsenal!" I asked anybody if they could come up with a plan.

"Mhh, I got it!" Queen had another idea; anything she got would be a good plan. "Joker, Fox, Skull, and Faust: You four go to distract it from the front. Panther, Mona and I are going to use magic from behind. Don't let it get you hurt." Her plan sounded good enough.

We got divided into two groups, while the males were going to distract it with physical attacks; the girls and Mona were going to cause even more damage to it from behind. Everyone was into positions.

"Rising Slash!" Fox used Goemon to cause heavy damage on it, it barely got scratched.

"Here! Tarakukaja!" Skull boosted Joker's attacks.

"Don't leave me out of the party. How about this trick? " I used Rakunda once more to make that robot weaker to anything, perfect for surprise attacks.

"On my mark!" Queen raised her right hand, waiting for them to throw magic at them. "GO!" They launched fire, wind and nuclear attacks on the Piggytron with all their might. Joker used Swift Strike with Matador, causing a lot of damage from all angles.

"Yeh punks're really pissin' me off! Yeh called my Piggytron a pig earlier, right? Were yeh talkin' about me too when you said that? If you were… Imma tear yeh all to shreads! Go, Piggytron! Super VIP Fooorm!" The giant robot changed into a metallic sphere, with Kanehiro rolling it.

What the hell? First, a fly, then a pig and now is he a dung beetle? How many insignificant animals can this guy be? Despite of that ridiculous tactic, he slowly gained momentum to ramp over everyone. We kept attacking like before, but he was increasing speed per each second. Things didn't look good for us.

"It's coming!" After so much speed, Mona shouted on everyone to avoid that thing. We didn't have enough time to react.

"Oh no, you don't!" I summoned Hannibal; he was trying to stop the robot by holding it with his claws while that thing was still rolling. The synergy was way stronger for me. "Skull, lend me a hand on this!" I couldn't contain it all by myself.

"I'm here! Captain Kidd!" He used his Persona as well to stop that robot, giving our teammates enough time to move away from its trajectory. Both of us almost reached our limits.

"Move out of the way!" Queen used Johanna to travel across the room. I caught her and mounted her Persona from the back while Panther used her whip to drag Skull out of the way too. We both survived the attack.

"How's this!? Can't even speak 'cause of how scary my Piggtron is, huh? Gyahahahaha!" He enjoyed this, that sadistic meat-ball. He released gas fear from… the rear while launching missiles. Everybody took cover again.

"Ok anyone has another plan? Now I'm getting anxious." I was feeling tired of how things became complicated.

Kaneshiro entered into VIP form again, I hated when that asshole spams the same attacks.

"Hm!? Is that bastard going to rush us again!? Wait a second… We can attack Kaneshiro directly right now. Shouldn't we be able to stop the rush then? Perhaps we can drop him on it!" Mona noticed a fatal flaw on his attack.

"Nice thinking Mona!" Panther complimented Mona, he got blushed from it.

"Everyone! Same plan as before!" Joker commanded us to the same positions, this time focusing on both the robot and its pilot. Everybody unleashed more attacks from all direction once again. That was too much for that fly-brain that fell and lost control of the robot, it ramped on him. He returned to pilot it again.

"Dammit… How dare yeh hurt my Piggytron so much…! My Piggytron's gonna lose…? No, that's impossible!" He was losing his mind.

"Accept reality, you stupid buffoon. You can't win!" I warned him while being on guard.

"It's already been decided… You are going down." Queen had no holdbacks.

The guy started VIP form again; I was getting more annoyed about how he can't stop doing that.

"Hm!? Is that bastard going to rush us again!? What do we do? Should we try distracting Kaneshiro again?" Mona was asking to Joker.

"Another way" Joker replied.

"As you know, Kaneshiro is a money monger. Tossing an expensive item his way might draw his attention and serve as a distraction…! Let's give it a try, Joker! It's your call what item we throw!" Morgana came up with one last plan.

Using an item to make him vulnerable was undoubtedly the best option for us; I got in my pocket some Physical Ointment.

"Hey, Joker! I have this! It should be foolproof." I showed him the item. He looked gave me the thumbs up.

"Toss it out now!" I did what Joker told to do, right in front of it. I was aiming at it with my sawed-off shotgun for precaution.

"Hm…? What is that!? It's got the shine of somethin' pricey! Go collect it, Piggytron! R-Right away!" He stopped using the VIP form and sucked the valuable item like a vacuum cleaner. "Wh-Whoooaaa! Th-This'll make us a fortune! Damn good find, yo!" He was enjoying with that item, freak.

"We don't need to worry about getting rushed now! Nice work, Faust!" Mona looked happy for the plan's outcome.

"Thank me later. Now, TIME TO BRING THE NOISE!" I was getting ready to start with the All-Out Attack.

We unleashed a barrage of strikes from all places, that thing started to get even more tarnished and worse. Now with a lot of damage, the robot exploded, making it wasted.

"Noooooooooooooooooo….." Kaneshiro was defeated. I could sense his misery from his expression.

"Mark my words, fool. We came, we saw, and definitely, we kicked your ass."


	7. New Changes, Same Luck

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

"Where do you think are you going? You have no way to run now." I was moving towards Kaneshiro when he fell to the floor after coming out of his robot; large gold bars came out too. "What is the matter? Are you afraid of me now?"

"Please! I beg mercy!" Kaneshiro sound agitated from an expected reaction as he knew what kind of person I was.

"Now begging for forgiveness? What happened to the other people you blackmailed while they begged the same thing to you? Karma is a bitch, isn't it?" I summoned Hannibal while he was doing a horrified expression; I enjoyed every second of that. Hannibal started to grab Kaneshiro from the neck with his sharp claws while lifting him into the air, choking him to death.

"Hey! What do you think are you doing with him?" Queen sounded surprised like everyone on the room.

"Can't you see? I'm finishing the job." I replied to her while looking at that insignificant being.

"He already learned his lesson! We don't need to do more damage to him!" Panther was protesting about my actions.

"He didn't get enough from me."

"Stop already! You promised us not going after him!" Queen was feeling angry because of my actions.

"I promised you that I would not chase him unless he does something that would put everyone's lives in danger. Don't you see he almost killed us with that thing!?" I was getting annoyed about how they want to let him live regardless of what he did.

"Stop already! We are not killers! Do you understand this? If we don't make him to confess his crimes, then we are never going to be able to make justice to the victims." Joker was angry with me, even more than any other time.

"Justice? Don't bring that shit in my face! We almost got killed by his fault, and you want to let him go? Do you know how much trouble he will cause if we let this leech roaming free? I'm doing a favor to all of you!"

"If you kill him, you are not going to better than him, maybe even worse. You may think we are doing justice because we are naive, but we are also bringing hope to any innocent people. If we don't make him confess for his crimes, everything will be the same for them." Queen was looking into my eyes. She had the same stare that her father gave to any other criminal he arrested.

I was struggling with her look and words. She made me angry. I couldn't help myself of being classified as someone like him, after all the things that I tried to help them. Nothing but anger and resent were in my mind, I made Hannibal release him while he crawled away from me. "Fine, you guys do whatever you want with him. Let's make one thing clear to you: If he does anything, and I mean ANYTHING to you one more time, don't try to stop me on going after him." With not much fight, I moved behind everyone else while they were trying to talk to him. Joker and Queen looked at me with disapproval but at least relieved that I chose right. Everyone focused their sight at Kaneshiro while looking mad at him, especially Queen.

"Now… as for you, Kaneshiro…"

"I'm not gonna let anyone have it… This is my money…" Kaneshiro was looking afraid while hugging all the gold around him.

"You stole it all from innocent people!" Queen counter-argued to him.

"Fine, I'll call off the debt…" He didn't sound so sincere.

"Fine? You're still soundin' pretty condescendin'" Skull sounded unsatisfied of what Kaneshiro said.

"You're right…I'm a poor, ugly… idiot… How am I supposed to live a normal life like this…? It's all because of our society! Weak people can't lead a happy life, no matter what they do! I'm a victim too, you know!? Yeah, none of this is my fault!" I have to admit; despite everything what he said is wrong, I couldn't deny he is right that society like to live in conformism. However, unlike him, I don't blame others of my actions, and I don't make others suffer if I did hurt too. He playing the victim brought me nothing but shame at him.

"The more you talk, the more pathetic you sound." Fox commented with disgust towards him.

"I just wanted a place where I could belong! You get that, don't you!? Fujin-sama!" He centered his eyes on me. "You see we are not so different about that! Your family threw me in the streets although I did everything they asked me to do! I put all my heart on them, and they repay me with nothing but pain and regrets! You left them too because they didn't respect you enough right?" He was on edge.

"Sorry, pal. You are completely wrong; I didn't leave my family because they were the bad people you might be thinking of. I left them because I was worried that everybody around me would get hurt or worse if I stay close to them. It didn't matter for me now because that curse still follows me wherever I go. Do you see the difference? I did it because I cared for others than myself, if they threw you out of the family is because you are a self-centered and greedy person. They don't want anybody who doesn't respect others. Seeing you like this brings me nothing but a sour taste in my mouth of how ungrateful you are with them. I never wanted anything with the family business, but it doesn't mean I hated them either. I'm more than grateful for how they allowed me to see with my own eyes how the real world can have both an enjoyment and a horrible experience. You only see the horrible things, and you are not happy with what you have. It took me some time until I met those guys, to see the real value of what life has to offer. I'm respecting those kids of how brave they are to defy society despite I don't share the same goals and ideologies like them. I won't ever betray them as you did with my family. It is all about change on oneself." Everyone fell silent, looking at me with smiles. I finally felt a place where I could belong to.

"Then what I can do to change myself as a better person? Where do I belong in this life?"

"Kaneshiro, you don't worry about that. You'll finally have a place you belong. Somewhere you can make amends, for the rest of your life." Queen broke the silence to tell Kaneshiro about all this.

"We're gonna do something about that distorted heart of yours…Free of charge." Skull felt determined to finish with all this.

Kaneshiro turned around to face at us while looking at the floor with regrets. He didn't put much resistance.

"I'm glad you understand. Now hurry up and return to the real Kaneshiro" Fox commented of his reaction.

"Seriously? You don't have any tact. Especially with that incredible power…These Palaces could net you loads of cash! You could do whatever you wanted to people's hearts!

"We're not like you!" Skull replied.

"Where do you find meaning in that naïve of justice…? You know, there's already someone out there taking full advantage of what Palaces have to offer…"Kaneshiro shared a little of the information that never crossed my mind. We were shocked by what he said.

"What…?" Queen asked.

"I'll let you in on a little something…There's a criminal using other people's Palaces to accomplish whatever they damn well please." Kaneshiro smirked about all that. "They don't care consequences. Psychotic breakdowns, mental shutdowns… Anything goes."

"Is that… the same person Madarame's Shadow spoke of…?" Fox was mumbling something I didn't know.

"What are you talking about? Is it true what is he saying?" I was confused about all this. Nobody answered me about it.

"Spill it! Who're you talkin' about!?" Skull tried to get more answers without results.

"*snicker* Don't even bother. You are nothing compared to them…Better be careful…A chance encounter with them could prove fatal…" After giving us the warning, he disappeared like air.

"Comeback… Dammit! He returned to his real self, right?" We weren't done with him, but I couldn't stop being upset about what he told us. Of course, while waiting for anyone to answer me the entire place started to get agitated.

"We can think about that later! Grab the Treasure; there's no time!" Fox told everyone to hurry before things could be worse.

"In that case, we should take that large one…Wait, what!?" Just about doing a suggestion, Queen saw something off. I saw that too.

"Mrrrrrooooooow!" Mona acted a little weird around the giant gold bars. "Treasure…"

"What's gotten into him…!?" Queen asked the same thing to the others.

"This is soooooo cooool! Wowwwweee, being a human is greatttt!" Mona was getting excited for each second.

"Huh, anybody mind to explain me what's going on with him?" I was really curious of his strange behavior.

"It's…It's…It's…shiny shiny golddd!" He was really in to it, much for my annoyance. All that excitement made him jump into Panther's face, she was upset about it.

"Hrgh!? L-Leff ho off mee!" With Mona on her face, Panther took off him angrily and launched that cat into the air, what next really threw me off guard.

"You shouldn't throw animals, dammit!" He became into a van in a not so happy mood.

"What the hell he transformed into? Is that a 'Catmobile'?" I just experienced even more weird things the more I stood around.

"Enough, already! Let's get it in, everyone! Hurry!" Panther ordered us to carry the gold bars.

I helped Fox to carry two gold bars while Skull and Joker carried another two. "Ok, all set!" Skull spoke after we sat in the van.

"We got the Treasure, we punched Kaneshiro in the face, and the Palace is falling apart. Let's get the hell out of here, pronto!" I was right on the edge of my seat, that care was smaller than expected.

"Grrr…Fine!" Mona wasn't so happy. He started to accelerate with Queen on the driver's seat. We went to full speed despite the gold's weight, but there was one little problem. "Wait, there's no road!" We were falling from a vast height, and everyone started screaming.

"YOU IDIOTS!" I was mad about how nobody noticed that, but I forgot about it anyways.

We returned to the real world.

"Oww"

"I think I cracked my ass…" Sakamoto was the second person to say something after Takamaki.

"Ann, are you all right!? Is yours cracked as well…?" Kitagawa wasn't the most subtle person I could ever know. He sounded really worried.

"Of course not!" Ann replied with embarrassment.

"Isn't it supposed to be though?" Makoto was really missing the point too.

"Urgh, that's not what I mean! More importantly, it's dangerous for us to just charge like that!" Finally, somebody spoke with more logic after a wacky experience. Takamaki noticed the people around them. "Ack! Everyone's staring at us!" The others noticed around them too.

"Thank goodness nobody was hurt." Makoto spoke with relief, Sakamoto not so much.

"Uhh, I wouldn't say nobody…" Sakamoto was looking to the street; everyone turned their sight as well.

You may ask what they were looking at, well that's quite simple.

Morgana in his cat form was on top of my face while I was lying in the middle of the street. Both of us were hit with a golden briefcase on the head. That really hurts.

"That briefcase…" Sakamoto looked surprised at what the Treasure became into.

"It appears to have been the cause of Morgana and Katsuo's demise…" He totally was missing the point about our pain.

"That's not what I meant! Isn't that Kaneshiro's…" Sakamoto called out.

"You mean his Treasure…!?" Now Kitigawa noticed it.

"Hey, the light's red!" Makoto was the first one to call the others that we were in the middle of the fricking road. Everyone came to us while helping us get off the road. "Katsuo, are you alright?"

"The real enemy… was within us… but… we did it. Gah" I just passed out. Kurusu and Kitagawa were holding me from each shoulder.

"I think he should be fine. Now, where should we open it?" Makoto wasn't even worried about Morgana or me, figures. She asked everyone a place where we could look what inside the briefcase.

"How about at karaoke?" Takamaki was the first one to come up with a suggestion. Everyone wasn't sure about it.

"We'd have security cameras to worry about there." Makoto replied about the first option.

"Oh, I got the perfect place." Sakamoto suggested another place while looking at Kurusu. He seemed confused.

"That's right!" That blond girl understood where he was referring to.

"I was just in the mood for some coffee too." Kitagawa deduced pretty quickly where too.

"And we need to fix Morgana up!" Takamaki kneeled to carry that black cat with her.

"Maybe I should find an ice bag for Katsuo as well." Kurusu commented a way to help with the strike on my head.

"So… warm." Morgana regained his senses.

Everyone moved while carrying Morgana and me to a train station. We traveled for 20 minutes until we stopped on another station at Yongen-Jaya. After leaving the station, we walked around some alleyways until we went to a coffee shop named Leblanc. They told me that Kurusu lived on the attic of that place. I won't ask questions of why and how, but the attic looked kind of cozy though. Once inside, they slowly put me on top of Kurusu's bed while everyone moved some chairs and a table on the center of the room.

"I will bring some medicine for Katsuo and Morgana." Kurusu told everyone else while going downstairs.

"Right, and I will bring some ice for him too." Makoto accompanied Kurusu on the first floor to find a bag for some ice.

I was lying on the leader's bed, looking at the roof and around the room. I couldn't move by myself, there were only the voices from everyone else I just could hear them. Kurusu and Makoto returned with the medicine and the ice bag. They didn't take so long. She gave me the ice which I would put it on my head, holding it with my right hand while sitting on the bed.

"This place is oddly calming." The president commented about that place.

"Yeah, I have to admit. It is really peaceful… Owwww." I was feeling in pain.

"How are you feeling, Katsuo?" She asked me about the current state.

"I feel like I fell from a six-story building and a cat landed on my face with a briefcase, oh wait… that happened, and it hurts!" I was nothing but annoyed about how I ended up, maybe worse than Morgana.

"Now, now…no need to be sarcastic with me. I know it wasn't a pleasant experience, but we finally got the Treasure." She was rather mad of my response, not hostile though.

"Yeah, I guess that is something. Also, we finally defeated Kaneshiro, that fatso shouldn't mess with us in the first place." I felt proud of how things ended mostly well for some of us. "Still, I can't believe those four giant gold bars transformed into a single golden briefcase. Talking about some messed up alchemy." I was curious about how the Treasure changed between realities.

"Speaking of the briefcase, have you learned anything new?" Makoto asked Kitagawa, which he was trying to open that briefcase. No luck for him.

"It's sealed by a rotary lock. We'll need the combination to open it." He looked disappointed.

"Maybe we can use a hammer and screwdriver… nah, I'm sure that would ruin the mechanism if we do that." I was suggesting another way to force it, but that wouldn't work.

"Meoooowgh…!" Morgana yelled in pain after Takamaki put some medicine on his head.

"A rotary lock, hm…?" Makoto sounded curious. She moved towards the briefcase like she found a way to open it.

"Do you have an idea? Unless you knew the right combination, there is no way you can open that damn…."

Makoto opened the briefcase without issue, much to everyone's surprise. "…I knew it."

"Well…I'll be damned." I was out of words while I kept the ice bag over my head.

"How did you get that?" That blue hair boy was amazed at how she solved it.

"I simply memorized the combination. I saw him open and close it so many times, after all." She was proud of it.

"W-Well that's…scary. But amazin' too!" Sakamoto was also amazed by that.

"Urghh, that burn…Hey, hurry up and open it." While still in pain, Morgana was anxious about what was inside of that.

Everyone, including myself, was getting closer while Makoto was slowly opening it. My eyes couldn't believe what I saw. That briefcase was full of money, lots and lots of money.

"H-How much is this!?" That punk was almost out of words because of the fortune we got.

"I believe one stack is one million yen…mh?" Kitagawa fell in silent after counting the money.

"One, two, three…Uhhh, there's thirty of them in here!?" Takamaki couldn't express how much money was.

"Thirty million yen… Even after splitting it, we still each get four million…!" Makoto's eyes were wide open of the exuberant quantity.

"WE GOT JACKPOT!" I yelled with the excitement of how much money I got from a single heist, my first one nonetheless.

"Holy shit… It's gonna be deluxe pork soul combo for from here on out!" For punk with a lot of money like Sakamoto, he didn't have many ambitions in life.

"You have to think bigger than that…" Morgana was unamused of his response.

"Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Venice…It would be a waste not using this money for my studies in Europe. I should start packing now!" I couldn't hold myself with all this money, dreams come true.

"Not to bring down the excited mood…but does this money look real to you?" Kitagawa made an odd observation.

"What!?" Takamaki replied, I didn't like that tone coming from her. "Children's Bank!?"

After looking closer, all bills had Kaneshiro's face. How disgusting.

"F-For real…!?" Sakamoto's smile turned into a grimace.

"I guess this represents… how everything he did was an act to make himself seem tough…?" Makoto got a sad expression of how ugly the truth behind the briefcase was.

"Noooooooooo..!" Sakamoto was really sad.

"No… Venice…" so do I. "You know what I always say: There is no such thing as easy money in life. Now I understand better the meaning of it, what a letdown." I got nothing but sadness all over my face. What a horrible, horrible day.

"Well hey, at least it feels like we totes busted this case, right?" The blond teenager got a change of mood into a more cheerful one for some reason.

"What do you mean? Is busting a case good or bad…?" Makoto got confused about what Takamaki said.

"Both"

Makoto was in silent for a moment until she started to chuckle and then into a laugh. "Ahahahaha!"

"Hey, I don't find this funny! We got nothing but shattered dreams…" I was still feeling down of what we got.

"Sorry, is just…To think for the reward for the Phantom Thieves is feeling they 'totes busted' the case…" She kept laughing a little more. "Ahhh… How funny!"

Everyone smiled, not much for me but then again, most fictional stories about thieves got the same kind of results anyways.

"Hold on second. Even though the contents were nothing more than trash, the case itself is quite nice." Well, Kitagawa at least thought a better alternative than leaving with the empty hands.

"All right then, let's sell it! Glad we got that sorted!" Sakamoto was on high spirits again, that was quick.

"You know, with those bills we can use them to lite a bonfire for a barbecue or make one thousand of origami cranes for a wish. That should be something right?" I was trying to light up my mood a little, and it worked somehow.

"By the way Morgana, have any of your memories returned?" Kitagawa asked the little cat.

"No, not at all..." He looked disappointed.

"C' mon, did that hit to your head make you forget even more?" He was insensitive.

"It's easy for you to talk. You're not the one who lost your memories." Morgana felt disdain towards Sakamoto, as always.

"You have amnesia…?" Makoto did sound concerned about Morgana's situation.

"Pretty messed up, huh? I feel sorry for him." It really made me sad about how bad of not knowing anything about yourself.

"Something like that. He does remember searching for Treasures thought." Takamaki added about Morgana's amnesia problem.

"Hm. I hope your memories return soon then." Makoto sounded apologetic. "So… what happens next?"

"First, we wait for Kaneshiro to have his change of heart." Morgana's summary of our next step, which sounds simple.

"Wait…That's it? Huh, then I guess I can go back to work and relax in the meantime." Now that everything was done, I was feeling happy about being able to continue with my life.

"It's gonna be big this time. People're gonna make huge deal oh it, for sure." That punk's hopes were pretty high.

"Hey, you know what Kaneshiro said at the end there…? About that 'criminal using the Metaverse…" Takamaki was feeling worried about that his words.

"Yes, I was bothered by that as well." Kitagawa added a comment too.

"Why everything has to be so complicated?" I was doing nothing but asking in circles because they don't know much about it. Everyone fell silent for a moment.

"No point mullin' over it now. Let's and see how Kaneshiro's change of heart goes first. We should prolyl just lay low for a while." That was the smartest thing the punk would ever say in life.

"I never thought I'd hear those words coming from you." Makoto was surprised as well of the words coming out of Sakamoto's mouth.

After a long day of disappointment, laughs, and some questions; everyone started to leave the place with only me staying behind.

"Are you not leaving yet?" Makoto asked me why I didn't move yet.

"I'm going to stay here a little bit more to rest my head before heading back home. Don't worry about me, just go ahead without me." I insisted on her move along.

"Okay, be careful on your way home. Good night."

"Take care." I said that to Makoto while she walked downstairs. I was still in Leblanc's attic with only me, Kurusu and Morgana around. His room now felt empty without more people around. I was thinking about if I should keep doing thief activities like before, but my only major problem was working with everyone. Those kids acting as thieves would be the vein of my existence because of how bad they are, and I don't know a better way to have a constructive opinion without making me look like a bad guy. Even though I did care about them, it wasn't enough for me to thank them. I was jealous of Kurusu because he looked like an understanding person. Asking him while being honest with would be the best to help me with this fear.

"Hey, Kurusu. Can I have a word with you?" It was hard for me to strike a conversation to someone younger than me.

"Sure what is it?"

"I…Do you see me as a bad person?"

"I don't think so; you looked like a good one. Why?"

"To be honest, I don't feel like a good person at all. You see, I lack some tact towards others; you can say I'm afraid of being friends with you guys because how much my bad luck will cause you any trouble."

"No you are not; you helped us defeating Kaneshiro and get the Treasure."

"That's not enough for me to thank you for accepting me in the group. Everyone trusted in each other while I focused on my own goals. I broke my promise with you about going after him, and you forgave regardless." I was feeling ashamed of myself, nothing good ever came out of being my friend. "I want to repay all of you for what you did for me, but I don't know exactly how."

"You don't need to repay us. Only being our friend is more than enough." Is Kurusu a saint or something? Why he had to say those things? He is truly a selfless person.

"Sorry, but I must. I can't stand here doing anything. If only I can …make you… better…" I fell in silent for a moment until I realized something. "I know a way to compensate for your help!"

"What do you have in mind?" He had a confused expression about my change of mood.

"As you can see; I'm not the best person to call myself a thief, but I learned a couple of things about being a professional criminal. I read books, watched movies, played videogames and learned the family business. While you have a lot of members in the group, it is always important to know their strengths and weakness from each one of them, and I'm not talking about their Persona attributes. Unlike Niijima to guide you in battle and act as proper students, I can help you to balance your double lives as students and thieves without raising any suspicions towards us. If you screwed up something, I would fix it. If you have trouble, I will solve it. If you need to get the best scores at school, well I can't do miracles, but at least I can help you to study some classes that don't include science or math. In other words, I will make you true professionals."

"So you want to be our team manager or our coach?"

"More or less, anything you guys need, I'm always willing to help you. Don't doubt to call me whatever is necessary. How about that, sounds good for you?" I was doing a proposal of helping his friends to improve as a real organization.

"Sure, I can always count on someone like you to help everybody, especially a group like ours." After closing statement, Kurusu and I shake our hands as a sign of partnership. I finally made a new friend of my age (Two years younger than me, but still) after a long time of solitude and paranoia.

 _I am thou, thou art I_

 _Thou hast acquired a new vow._

 _It shall become the wings of rebellion_

 _That breaketh thy chains of captivity._

 _With the birth of the Hunger Persona,_

 _I have obtained the winds of blessing that_

 _shall lead to freedom and new power…_

I don't know what the hell was all that about, but no complains since I became friends with the leader from this group of misfits. It felt like my next step to take a new turn, despite the irony of hanging out with teenagers. I hope they don't start calling me Big Bro; I would hate myself if they do that.

"By the way, I noticed one thing while we were fighting Shadows."

"What is it?"

"You were picking up some sort of weird stuff from those monsters after a battle, why you need for?"

"Oh, you mean those? Those are crafting components for my thief tools." Akira showed me his workbench and the process of them, which was an interesting demonstration.

"I'm really amazed of that. How did you learn to do all those tools? You just need some sort of special training to come up with stuff like that." I was wondering about all the origins of his crafting skills.

"Morgana was the one teaching me to create all of them: Lock picks, smoke bombs, the usual tools of a thief."

"If that's so, then let me share little advice that can help you to gather more materials after a battle. What you do it's like hunting; you don't want to ruin the vital parts of the prey. Killing Shadows effeciently would let you get even more components than before. Not a bad advice, right?"

"Yeah, that must be helpful. I will try it when we fight Shadows next time."

"Hey, I think is already late for me. Thanks for the ice by the way. I will be in contact with you if I run into something."

"No problem. Ask me anything you want."

After some little talk, I decided to leave to return home.

I felt like I'm always welcome to him. No matter where I go, at least I have another person watching my back. Those kids are weird, but in a good way. I picked up my corresponding train to get my way back home. With all the pain in the world, I got in my head, and I didn't care about it at the end. That entire burden I got on my body finally left, making me feel like a complete person. I promised to myself on never fear about my luck ever again as long I'm with them.

My heart felt lighter than usual, making Hannibal satisfactory about my determination of change. The only thing that worried me the most was my friendship with their rival, Akechi Goro. I hope it won't cause any trouble for both of them. I know he can be a prick at times but is not a bad person. He suffered the most like any of us. He is another victim of this fragile society.

Don't worry Goro. We will fight this cruel reality that treated like trash for years. The others don't know anything about you; sometimes I wished you were on our side to understand our reasons.

* * *

Katsuo Rank 1

Skill- Scavenger: Raises the chances to get double of crating materials after a battle.


	8. The Good Old Days

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

It's been a couple of days since we got Kaneshiro's Treasure and his Palace was destroyed, which was a good thing because I was able to sleep better at nights. I had to explain an excuse to Lala-chan about my absences; I told her that I was doing tutoring classes for some students, which were half-truth about helping teenagers. She was too benevolent about it because education was important at our age rather than taking their priorities on working instead of their future.

It's always good to be back at reality without dealing with shadows or fighting despicable people at the moment, I don't know how they can deal with this, but I promised to Akira to help them about being professionals. I mean, their cover had been blown up when Makoto and I discovered about their identities under different circumstances. If they kept being careless, Goro would find us in no time. Now my job was being their babysitter if things got out of control, but I shouldn't worry that much knowing that Akira, Makoto and partially Morgana can keep them in line without me.

I was the oldest member of the team, also the one who wasn't a student. I had more responsibilities than them so going to Palaces would be complicated in some near future. I already put my priorities on jobs first, then bills, and finally P.T. activities while the trivial stuff set aside. They have been working on different targets in a place called Mementos.

I didn't have the chance to go and see by myself since my work at delivery piled up after days of absences. Good thing they weren't important so they could handle themselves without me, it can be selfish of my part of not going, but I already explained my reasons, unless, is a personal request from someone we knew personally then I would go. Right now, their targets were nothing but puny people.

It was already evening at Shinjuku, lousy as ever. Things became more agitated around since we posted the calling card at Shibuya, nothing interesting around though. Crossroads had been quiet as usual unless you want to count Ohya's-san complaining about her work. The weird part during those days was she talking to Akira while I was working; they became friends for some reason. I just tried to act like I didn't know him so nobody would suspect about our activities as Thieves. That guy was an odd case about hanging about with adults; I can't complain much since I was working with teenagers, so I call it even. During one of my breaks from working at Crossroads, I decided to check my phone messages for an update about Kaneshiro.

 **Ann:** Kaneshiro got rid of those photos, right?

 **Makoto:** That's what he said.

 **Ryuji:** You think we can trust him?

 **Katsuo:** I don't believe a word of what that asshole says.

 **Makoto:** I doubt he'd lie if he really had a change of heart.

 **Ryuji:** Looks like we're all clear then.

 **Yusuke:** We can't be sure of that just yet.

 **Ann:** You mean he might not have had a change of heart?

 **Yusuke:** No, I'm relatively certain he did. That is not the issue.

 **Yusuke:** Despite Kaneshiro's change, his organization remains intact.

 **Yusuke:** I can only hope they don't abscond with the photographs.

 **Ryuji:** Y'mean like, run off with it? I guess that is possible…

 **Yusuke:** After all, loss of the leader does not necessarily spell out the demise of the group.

 **Yusuke:** That is merely common knowledge.

 **Katsuo:** I doubt his organization will maintain order without him after his change of heart.

 **Katsuo:** From what I found while doing research about them, those guys are a small group that accomplished so little while having external help.

 **Katsuo:** Longstory-short, they will fall like a pile of dominos.

 **Makoto:** How can be so sure of that?

 **Katsuo:** I can still have access to that kind of information. Don't underestimate the son of a yakuza patriarch.

 **Makoto:** Well…I guess the opposite sometimes holds true as well.

 **Makoto:** Some groups that lack strong guiding hand will simple crumple.

 **Ann:** So this all depends on which way it goes…

 **Akira:** We'll be fine.

 **Makoto:** All we can do now is pray the pieces fall in our favor.

 **Yusuke:** Hopefully Kaneshiro's confession motivates the police to crack down on the Yakuza…

 **Yusuke:** I would love nothing more than to see them defeated once and for all.

 **Ryuji:** That part'll be up to Makoto's sis.

 **Katsuo:** Yep, I won't feel bad for them though.

 **Makoto:** That aside, we've done everything we can for the time being.

 **Makoto:** All that remains now is to wait until the result becomes clear.

After reading the messages from those kids, I thought if it was a good idea to let him live or not, even if we did everything we could to change him. I knew that would become complicated but good thing he didn't call Makoto about the debt or something else that would risk their lives. Just before heading back to work I got a call from an unknown number. Who could it be?

"Hello?" I answered.

" _Hello, Katsuo-san_?" It was Akechi Goro on the phone.

"Goro? How did you get my…never mind, I already got the idea. So what is this honor of you calling me for?" I didn't expect he would call me after the last talk we had last month.

" _Sorry, did I interrupt something?_ "

"Not really, I was taking a break from my work, so what's up?"

" _I thought if you are free for the moment to play darts, but I guess you are busy right now._ "

"Not really, my shift will be over in an hour. I can play some rounds after work." I wouldn't let this chance to hang out with my friend after so many years.

" _Alright then, I will send you the address of the place. See you later._ " He hung up the phone.

That's something I didn't expect after so much trouble. What I was doing was like walking on thin ice: One of my best friends hates the people I'm working with. I wasn't betraying them; my personal life was separate from Phantom Thief work. He wouldn't suspect about me if I'm friendly with him, as long I wouldn't bring topics about criminals or else. I'm surprised that after so many years he would like to hang out with me. I guess dealing with older people made him feel a little isolated without me or Souta being around.

After an hour, I said goodbye to Lala-chan and Ohya-san after a busy shift. The address that sent me was actually in the same area as me. Pretty odd considering that he would be a person of higher standards, playing darts in a place like Shinjuku wouldn't be something for a Detective Idol like him. Then again, it was convenient for me, so I didn't need to ride my bike to go somewhere else.

The address was confusing as some of the establishments tend to obscure each other with so many lights and bright colors. It was a mess to find the place but at least wasn't too far from Crossroads than I could expect it. After entering the local, there looked pretty classy than I could imagine it; with some pool tables and darts in the same room. The place wasn't for minors, but that didn't stop the famous detective from inviting me here.

"Ah, you finally came. I thought I sent you the wrong address." Goro was standing next to the main door while looking kind of worried.

"Nah, it was right, but the place was kind of hidden." I was feeling a little embarrassed that I got a little lost. "Are you okay we can play darts here? It doesn't look like a place for minors."

"It is fine as long they don't serve us alcohol. I always play here when I'm done with work earlier."

"Huh, I didn't know that. Maybe I should come here more often after work."

"Why you say that?"

"Well, I work in a bar down the street which isn't that far."

"I didn't you worked around this area." Goro sounded surprised at how close where this place and Crossroads. "Which bar are you working at?"

"Ummm….is a bar called Crossroads. Better not ask what kind of bar is." I felt a little embarrassing of saying about the place I was working in.

"Okay…I guess we should start. How many points do you think we can play for this round?"

"300 points, is two rounds good enough for you?"

"Yes, two rounds should be enough. I'm warning you, my aim is deadly." Goro smiled, sounded a lot more confident of his skills.

"We will see that, Mr. Detective." I was confident in my skills too.

I picked the red dart while he picked the blue darts. The first turn was mine, holding the dart with my right hand while taking small breaths to be steady with my grip. When I threw my dart first, it landed on 17 closer to the bullseye. My second dart landed on 19 with the triple ring. My last one of my turn landed almost on the bullseye's outer ring, but I just got 5.

"Not bad, seems that you have a steady hand at least." Goro complimented me despite not my best effort.

Goro was holding his darts with his left arm while doing small breaths. His grip was steadier than mine while he closed one eye to aim. On his turn, he landed one bullseye and two outer rings. He did it much better than me.

"Well look at that, you weren't joking about deadly aim. I guess you practiced more with this than me." I was amazed at how he performed on his turn.

"Not really, I barely got time to play darts lately due to my work." He was being modest.

"I suppose, there aren't many teenagers working as detectives that could handle with."

"Not at all, have you ever heard of Shirogane Naoto?"

"Yeah actually, I heard that her family worked as detectives for generations. She worked as one since she was too young. Why that question? Do you know her?"

"Actually no, I never met her on person, but I would like to. She inspired me to work as one since I was a child."

"Yeah, I remember that you wouldn't stop talking of becoming one like him, err…I mean her." Dammit, sometimes I forgot that she was behaving like a man until she was 15.

"It is a weird thing don't you think? One of the people that I admired the most was a woman. She was full of surprises."

"There is nothing wrong to admire a woman that is the best on her job." Just look at Makoto's sister, she was the best but also a terrifying prosecutor around Tokyo.

"Mhhh, you are right. Women are full of surprises after all when they have one objective on their minds." He was lost in thought a little bit while I took my dart for my turn.

I threw my dart with better results, but not much like him: 2 double, 20, 7 triples. "I guess so; I would never make a woman angry as long I live to tell." Even with more reason since I fought Shadows with Makoto, she can be equally terrifying when someone pissed her off. Kaneshiro got the Niijima Treat on the most painful way possible.

While we continued with our game, Goro threw his darts with two bullseyes and 20 triple. I should feel humiliating, but I was getting fun with this friendly competition. "I forgot to ask you this. Did you hear what happened at Shibuya a couple of days ago?" He asked me about our calling card from Kaneshiro's heist.

This is great, the only thing I was trying to avoid the topic of conversations now he was asking me that. Somehow I knew he would come up with more stuff like this, I had to play along so he would not suspect that I was involved with them. "Yeah, I heard of it. I'm surprised at how they did that without people noticing anything suspicious."

"Did you think they already accomplished it?" Goro sounded worried.

"What? Oh, do you mean about what those posters said? Who knows? All I can say is those thieves are nothing I've seen before." We were lucky of doing that without people suspecting, good thing Makoto was with Sakamoto and me, or we would never be able to accomplish such a risky tactic.

"I wonder…If they succeed, then I'm going to be humiliated around everybody." He was not pleased about it.

"We don't know if they did it or not. Hey, don't feel bad about it. You know you can have my full support." I didn't want to feed him with false hopes, but I tried to make his mood better.

"I thought you didn't want to pick sides since the last time we talked about this." He looked curious about my change of opinion.

"I said I support you, not that I support the laws or them."

"Well, it is good that at least a friend like you still thinks I can solve this." He sounded more cheerful after hearing me say that.

We kept playing until the end of the first round, he won though. We started over with the same score. His aim was almost supernatural; his darts landed so close to the center with the occasional bullseye. Great aim, sophisticated form, and left-handed: He knew how to play this gentlemen's game. I did not do well playing this, I guess I should practice it by myself if I would get the chance.

"Hey, did you remember what you asked me the last time we talked?" Goro made another of his questions.

"What I asked…Oh, are you talking about Souta? Do you where is he?" I finally caught up what he was referring to.

"Not really, is just I started to remember when the three of us played a lot on our favorite spot." He sounded nostalgic.

"Oh yeah, we loved to play on that park all the time. I think we tried to play Phoenix Featherman once, but we were always short on two people for the full team." The good times, I was surprised he still remembers us getting fun. Time changes.

"You and Souta always fought who would be the Red one." He sounded so playful about such childish stuff.

"You always chose the Blue one. So it was hard to us to be the leader at that time."

"That aside, do you think we will do something together like those days?"

"I'm not so sure. We don't even know where he is or what is he doing right now. I guess only the time will tell us." I was just thinking of a way to find him, but not even social media can help us with that, I tried to find his name, but he didn't appear.

"I will try to look about him after I'm done with the investigation."

"Which means it's going to take a while." I felt really unenthusiastic about waiting that long.

"Nobody says that is easy work."

"I guess so."

After playing some time with the darts, Goro won the second round again. Well, Mr. Detective knew how to make good company for an old friend like me. I wish the other guys could know him better instead of badmouthing. Then again, he didn't like them either, so it was neutral ground for me. After leaving the place, he gave me a presentation card in case anything happens. We took our separate ways once again after a long day of work and a fun match. It ended better than expected, he didn't get any suspicious towards me at the very at least. I had to get my back and sleep earlier for another day of work.

Right on the next morning, my boss left me a message about an urgent package. He said that it was special and that I needed to deliver it at Shibuya. I was getting sick of coming at Shibuya too many times. The package was weird; it didn't have any information or names, just a note:

 _Deliver this to a woman with a yellow scarf at Station Square; you would be compensated for your extraordinary job._

I had no idea of why my boss accepted this delivery despite not have the complete information. I would say that is suspicious, but then again it was approved somehow. I was waiting right on the place of what that note said. There were a lot of people and giving that package to someone in a public place was bad enough after dealing with that kind of problem with Kaneshiro. Why didn't it scream trouble for me with this?

"Mommy, where are we going?" A little girl was asking a young lady.

"Mommy has to pick something important, Yuki-chan. It won't take too long." The lady replied to her daughter while walking around Station Square. She looked on her middle 20's maybe, she looked really young. Her hair was of color chestnut and her eyes where red like Makoto's but brighter. The thing that struck me the most was the yellow scarf she was wearing. Is she the person I had to deliver to?

"Excuse me; are you the one waiting for a package?" I moved towards her and asked if she was the person I was supposed to wait for.

"Yes, and I suppose you are the delivery man I was expecting. Thank goodness I found you; there are more people than usual on this day at Shibuya." The young lady with a yellow scarf was feeling relieved of finding me without issues. "Mhh? Why there is no name at the package?" She just noticed something odd about that thing.

"I'm sorry for that, but my boss told me to use only the note to find you. He didn't tell me why though."

"He did? Ugh, I told her not to do that again, is just a simple package." She sounded not so happy on the way I delivered it.

"Sorry is something wrong?"

"No is not that, my friend that ordered you to deliver this can sometimes be a little paranoid when she does a favor for my friends or me."

"How paranoid are we talking about?"

"Like… everything around her can be a potential danger."

"Okay… I get it. Well it seems that I'm off then. I hope you are happy with your order." I was about to leave before she started to call me.

"Hey…wait, did I know you from somewhere?" She looked like she knew something about me. I couldn't tell if I knew her or not.

"Mhhh? I don't know to be honest with you." I replied without much explanation.

"Sorry… just you kind of remind me to my husband for some reason."

"Really? That is weird."

"Well, never mind. I want to ask you something."

"What is it?" I was intrigued by what that lady was talking about.

"Well…my friend, the same one asked you to deliver this to me doesn't trust much in other people besides my husband or me. So I want to ask you if you can be the one to deliver things to me instead of asking another courier." Despite her odd request, she sounded like someone trustworthy.

"I don't know if the company allows me to deliver specific people without sending someone else."

"Don't worry. My friend can arrange that."

"Why though? I mean, what would be the reason to ask all this?" I was getting really curious about everything about that lady.

"It is just to make things easier for you; also maybe you will get paid more than usual. Don't worry is nothing illegal what you are delivering, I hope." From her offer, I guess I could do that since delivery work was getting rather slow lately and the payment wasn't enough for me to pay the bills or fuel.

"Sure, just I'm hoping is nothing dangerous. I already have so many troubles with my life."

"Wonderful! I will tell to my friend to always request you to deliver my orders to my husband or me." I didn't like that for one side, but she had that aura that makes people trust around her.

"Well, I hope not being much of a problem to you."

"Of course not, but I have to ask your name so I can make sure of always asking for you when my next comes."

"Uh sure, my name is Ryuunosuke Katsuo, and yours? If it is not much trouble to ask."

"Sure thing, my name Arisato Minako and this girl is my daughter Yuki. Say hi to Ryuunosule-san, Yuki-chan."

"Hello!" She sounded so hyperactive. "Mommy, the movie is almost starting. Can we go now, please?"

"Sure, I guess I have to go. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ryuunosuke-san."

"Same thing, Arisato-san."

"Don't forget to say bye to him." She told her daughter.

"Bye-bye!" The girl waved her hand while smiling. Mother and daughter walked towards Central Street while holding hands.

"…And I thought Akira was the only one meeting weird people, I guess not." I said that to myself while leaving Shibuya.


	9. Understanding Life and Others

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

"Well, guess how much I won in the lottery?" I talked to Sakamoto as we were walking at Shibuya to do some training at Protein Lovers. Akira asked me to help the other members in case he got busy with something else.

"What you won?" Sakamoto asked me with curiosity.

"I got a refund. Why I'm not surprised?" My usual tone showed how unlucky I was.

"I guess it is better than losing, I never won anything with those things."

"I don't know why I do even bother with those things. Working with you guys should be better for me than gambling."

"Uhhh, I don't think that's how it works."

"What?"

"You see, the money we got in that world is usually for team expenses like armor, weapon, medicines, and the usual stuff."

"What about our expenses?"

"Let's say we are not good to administrate our own money. I mean, it's still a lot bigger than our allowances."

"Mhhh, oh well…." I couldn't believe that we don't get that much. What kind of phantom thieves are we anyway?

We kept walking towards the gym to start training. From what Akira told me, he and this punk were doing some running after school. Sakamoto was the track-team star before everything went downhill for him with Kamoshida at school. That big-chin asshat coach broke his leg, and Sakamoto became incapable at long-distances. Since there is no team, it was Akira's job to help him to make him in good shape. Well, not that day though, Akira got important business, and I promised him to help those kids whatever it was necessary.

"Did you bring protein? It's important to be on top form." I asked him once we were already ready to start the training session.

"Shit, I forgot it at home."

"*sigh* I will give you some of mine, but better bring yours next time." I took out two protein bottles and drank them to get some boost out of this routine.

"Alright then, what are you going to do? I will start with the running machine before lifting weights." That blond guy sure sounded excited like a little kid.

"I will start with the machines as well, and then maybe start hitting the sandbag."

"So you practice some sort of martial art like Makoto?" He looked surprised.

"Kick-boxing but not by much, I used for a short time before I got caught up with a lot of work." It made me think about the wasted time I could use to train before.

"But it doesn't look like you have issues when we fight Shadows."

"I don't think using a chain with a hook attached to it should be part of kick-boxing. The same thing I could say about you using blunt objects for a runner."

"Whatever is good for someone I guess? I mean, Ann used whips, and she never used one before. Yusuke uses katanas for an artist. I don't know how Akira learned to do all those knife tricks, and we don't need to talk about Makoto as we already know the rest." That last thing made him shivers for some reason, so I did too.

"I couldn't say much about Ann and Akira, but for Yusuke makes sense using katanas. It requires being calm and precise. We, on the other hand, we are not that kind of people."

"I guess you are right, enough talkin' because we should start already." As soon as he called, we started with our respective routines.

I used the machine around 20 minutes of jogging and running, which kind of left me out of breathing. What was I thinking about doing that without warming up? That was a mistake. I moved to the sandbag to practice my fighting style. From punches and kicks, I felt wasn't strong enough to be good against anyone, or even Shadows. I've been using the chain and hook-like fool despite always starting with superman punches before using the weapon. I had to improve my fighting style if things started to pack heat. Strength was never important for me when I got into fights during childhood, just analyze the opponent patterns and counter-attack. Too bad I was getting rusty if it wasn't for awakening Hannibal that helped me to survive long enough.

"10…11…12…13…" I heard Sakamoto struggling with the weights, I chose to stop with my routine and see if he needed some help.

"Need a hand?" I told him while he was busy.

"No… I'm… fine… right… now…" He couldn't speak clearly as he was trying to take small breaths.

"Nononono, I think you don't need to put too much weight on those." I grabbed those weights and put them back. "That was too much for you, why though?"

"Sorry I kinda got carried away. You didn't look struggling with those."

"Nah, that is too much even for me. If you do that you will feel pretty bad in the morning. I thought you already knew your routine."

"I usually do, but for some reason, I remembered something awful." He looked upset for some reason.

"What is it?" I was puzzled.

"It's just that bastard Kamoshida, when we trained and the shit I got from him."

"You know, you never told how you dealt with him."

"I will tell you everything after we are done with training." After that, we continued with our regular exercises until we were done and tired. That was kind of painful though. After changing our clothes and leave the gym, we got hungry. "Yo, can we get some beef bowls?"

"Beef bowls? After doing exercise for an hour?...Heh, sure." Despite his idea, I didn't disagree about eating that because it was right around the corner. We just walked inside the restaurant and order some big bowls for both of us. Not a big fan but anything is fine. "Now, I would like to hear your story about 'that' place and Kamoshida."

"Sure, I don't think is that would be long…" He started to tell a not-so-well narrated story of Kamoshida and his 'fungeon' castle. He acted as a king, the male students as slaves, and female students as princess or maidens. Ann didn't like seeing her own cognitive version in a bikini and cat ears from that sick guy. His treasure was a huge crown, which in reality was his golden Olympic medal, talking about not letting the past die. Kamoshida cried and begged to be executed, too much in my opinion.

"Hahahaha! Really? I wished to see his reaction of crying like a bitch he was." Not going to lie, it sounded funny.

"I'm sure someone recorded and is at the internet."

"I should check it later. Back to the topic, it is pretty messed up a person like him having so much power in a school. Humpty-dumpty knew about that, and he tried to hide it. No wonder why I hated that hellhole. I shouldn't hold my self of using my family power to punish those guys when I had the chance."

"It doesn't matter now; I only wished to have the same kind of self-control like you and Akira when I punched that bastard during my first year…"

"Hold on a sec...It was you the student who punched Kamoshida last year?"

"Yes, why?" He looked curious because of my reaction.

"I want to apologize of not doing anything to help you at that time. Dammit, I should feel bad about it." I felt ashamed of myself.

"No worry, past is in the past y' know? No need to keep thinking about thing already happened."

"I know it is just I can't believe that I didn't stop all those problems if I had the balls to intervene at that time."

"You don't need to be so tough on yourself, I completely understand it because it is not easy to have the courage and stand for yourself." His tone became livelier despite being moody. "If it weren't for our leader that helped to understand that and awakening my Persona, I wouldn't know what my life could be right now." He was grateful for Akira.

"Yeah, I can see that." I couldn't stop thinking of how easy it was for him about forgetting everything that happened to him. "Still, I don't know a way to apologize with you, maybe give you useful pieces of advice or else, I don't know…."

"Don't sweat it; I'm sure you can do a lot for me and the others."

"I suppose, but thanks for not minding that."

"Sure no problem 'Big Bro'" Sakamoto smirked.

"Don't ever call me 'Big Bro'! I dare you if you call me like that ever again." The only thing I didn't want to be called as put on my nerves.

"Hehehe, alright then I won't say that again. Now…why they took so long to get our orders?" We were sitting for a while still waiting for our beef bowls. I just noticed that there weren't any people working in that place. How is it possible to run a restaurant with not enough people working?

After finally eating and leaving, we went to our separate ways. I rode my bike while heading at Shinjuku for work.

* * *

I was at Crossroads washing the dishes, there weren't any customers, and how odd not even Ohya-san there either. Quite a relaxing night, but I had the feeling that I forgot something important. Did I forget to buy the monthly Ultra-Jump? It can't be because it is not 15th yet. Whatever it is, I'm sure is not that important.

"Why the long face, my dear boy?" Lala-chan asked me about my quiet mood.

"What? Oh, it is nothing is just I went to the gym earlier today. Maybe just tired, that's all."

"If you say so, boys at your age worry too much about looking strong when they are not happy of how they are or feel. Usually, they tend to overcompensate. Don't strain yourself please."

"Don't worry I won't." After listening to one of her life lessons, I heard someone coming through the door, and it was Akira. He was coming lately to talk with Ohya-san, giving good publicity about us. I stopped pretending I didn't know him as for how often he came to this bar. "Hey Akira, are you looking for Ohya-san? She is not here today though."

"I came here for something else."

"What? If it is about working here, you should talk to Lala-chan in case she needs someone else."

"I will think about it, but is not I'm here for."

"Uh? If is neither of those, then what is it?" As soon I asked Akira for a reason to coming here, Ohya-san came with a cake on her hands. Are they waiting for someone's birthday?

"Sorry for being late, there was an asshole blocking me on my way." Ohya-san looked desperate for a moment, but she smiled as soon she left the cake on the table.

"Mind if I ask but who's the birthday boy or girl?" I was confused about not knowing they prepared a celebration for someone here.

"Katsuo, do you know what day is today?" Lala-chan asked me with a serious expression.

"It's July 7th, why you ask me that."

"Oh silly boy, don't tell me you forgot about your birthday."

"My…wait what?" I was shocked.

"Happy Birthday, Katsuo." Akira congratulated me.

"How do you know is my birthday?"

"I told him and Ohya about this important day, they didn't mind to help me."

"A birthday means we need drinks to toast this special occasion. This round is on me!" Ohya-san was excited about it.

"You already know that we are still underage for drinking right?"

"Well…that means more booze for me. Cheers!" She raised her glass as high as possible while putting a big grind.

"Still, how do you forget is your birthday?" Akira asked with a curious tone.

"To be honest, I don't feel today is that important. For me is just another day."

"Don't be ridiculous, my dear. Today is a special day, which means I will read this." Lala-chan took out a paper from one of her sleeves.

"Oh, you don't have to do that." I said it with a more sarcastic tone.

"What is that?" Akira asked.

"Seriously, don't do that. It's embarrassing." I lowered my head while covering myself with my apron.

"This? It's a poem from Katsuo's mother. She always read that every year to him."

"Why you have it?"

"You are making too many questions, don't you Kurusu? My mother is really good friends with Lala-chan, but I didn't expect she would give the poem to her and read it."

"I think it is really sweet."

"Yeah, I don't. Anyways, I hope that would be the last thing to…" I got interrupted when my phone got messages. I was hoping is not what I think it was.

 **Ryuji** : Yo! Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?

"I hate you, Kurusu" I was looking at Akira with a really angry expression. He just smirked at me while drinking his glass of water.

 **Katsuo** : Because it's not that important, can we move along and forget about this?

 **Yusuke** : Nonsense! A birthday is a special occasion, no need to feel embarrassed about that.

 **Katsuo** : Seriously guys, you don't need to know about this. It's just normal day like any other.

 **Ann** : You shouldn't think anything like that. We need to celebrate this.

 **Katsuo** : If you want to, fine but not now. I will be busy this week.

 **Makoto** : I was thinking, we could use the money from the Treasure to celebrate our victory and use your birthday as an excuse.

 **Ann** : Great idea Makoto! But we need to wait for Kaneshiro's confession before selling the briefcase.

 **Ryuji** : Totally agree with Miss Prez!

 **Yusuke** : Me too as well, I should start looking for excellent restaurants.

 **Katsuo** : I hate you guys.

 **Ann** : And we love you too, Katsuo.

 **Ryuji** : Same, Big Bro!

 **Yusuke** : Big Bro?

 **Katsuo** : Oh Shut Up! You don't need to know that.

 **Makoto** : Why is Ryuji calling you Big Bro?

 **Katsuo** : None of your business.

 **Ryuji** : I gotta go, my mom needs me to buy ingredients for dinner.

 **Ann** : Me too, my show is almost starting.

 **Yusuke** : I will talk to you later.

 **Makoto** : Happy Birthday Katsuo.

"Why you did that?"

"You really want to know?" Akira asked me.

"Yes."

"Because you are our friend, there's no need to be on your own. Why so upset?"

"Well, maybe because I never felt that important for other people. I preferred not to bother others for such trivial stuff."

"No more then, you are important for us now. Don't forget that you can always trust us, no matter what is." Akira put his hand on my left shoulder with a reassuring smile.

"I guess you are right." I kept forgetting that I was no longer alone. The same could say about Goro. "The deadline is in two days right?"

"Yes, is closer. The only thing we can do is waiting for the news."

"I don't know what I think about, but I should feel relieved for now."

"We did a great job, together. Don't forget that."

"Sure thing. Thanks, Akira." I felt pretty good, with friends like those I should no longer be a downer.

"Hey! How old are you again? I think I forgot to bring more candles." Ohya asked me while she and Lala-chan accommodated everything on the table.

"19, one more year and maybe I will share a glass with you." I made a small smile.

"That is a promise!" Ohya-san was extremely cheerful than usual, is she already drunk?

"Happy Birthday my boy Katsuo, now for this poem…." Lala-chan started to recite that stupid poem; I didn't care at the end.

The only thing left to worry about is the deadline, but I was sure we did an A+ job. I guess life is good sometimes.

* * *

Katsuo Rank 2

Skill-Baton Pass


	10. Finals Around the Corner

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

 **Comments:**

 **justsomerealguy: Sorry but Katsuo won't do that since he learned his lesson a long time ago.**

* * *

 **Ryuji** : The deadline's tomorrow… We gonna be OK?

 **Yusuke** : The pictures are gone. He has no avenue to threaten us anymore.

 **Yusuke** : That is, if we're able to trust what Kaneshiro said.

 **Ann** : Don't say such scary stuff.

 **Katsuo** : We did everything we could, isn't that enough?

 **Makoto** : We can't relax just yet.

 **Makoto** : He may still end up released from police custody…

 **Katsuo** : Of course, I should already guess it.

 **Ryuji** : For real!?

 **Makoto** : That is, unless they have decisive evidence like a confession.

 **Akira** : It'll be fine.

 **Katsuo** : What a laid back you are, you know?

 **Makoto** : But is true, there does seem to be some movement.

 **Makoto** : Sis actually sent me a message saying she won't be home tonight.

 **Makoto** : There's a chance that the police have found their breakthrough.

 **Ryuji** : Oooh, does that mean it happened!?

 **Katsuo** : IF he does a confession, we don't know anything for sure yet until tomorrow.

 **Ann** : The timing is perfect, I guess let's just hope for the best?

 **Ryuji** : I'm gonna stay up all night watching the news to find out!

I didn't want to sound like a mood-killer, but it is essential to be more realists to our situation if that guy does absolutely nothing and we would get boned. On the other hand, I should put faith on the others because we did everything we could; I didn't want to think it was a waste of effort.

I hoped to see the news in the morning.

* * *

It was July 9th; Shibuya was heated because of the Kaneshiro's arrest. He confessed despite my doubts. I'm glad I won't have to think about that human meatball ever again. I was reading the new while taking a break from my delivery job. The results were the same just like the two previous targets. It was already after school hours, so I went to see the others and talk about the good news until I got a phone call.

" _Hello, Katsuo?"_ It was Makoto.

"The only one, so what's up?"

" _Did I caught you busy?"_

"I was heading to see the others, are you coming?"

" _Sorry I can't, the principal called me so I won't be there today. I will tell to the other though."_

"Sure no problem, do whatever you need not raise suspicion."

" _Right. See you later."_

Well, it seems I had to move along while she had to deal with Mr. Ass-kissing principal in the meantime. I walked towards the station until I saw them already at the 'hideout'. They looked really happy.

"Hell yeah! Kaneshiro finally confessed!" Sakamoto said louder as ever. "People've been makin' a huge deal of it since the police announcement!"

"It's difficult to accept that the authorities are taking all of the credit for his arrest." Yusuke didn't look satisfied though.

"I don't care, to be honest, that's how it works when our job is not to attract attention toward us." I commented about harsh reality.

"People are going nuts about the Phantom Thieves online though. Look!" Ann showed us her phone with the Phan-site positive comments about us.

"It's all comin' together for us!" That punk couldn't stop smiling.

"This is quite the turnaround. All of a sudden, people are expressing their long-standing beliefs in us." Yusuke added.

"So this is why Makoto told us to post the calling card anywhere that might stand out." Ann complimented about her calling card idea.

"Pretty smart move on her part. Oh… where is our amazing Miss President?" Sakamoto just noticed that Makoto wasn't with us.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that she would be busy with your principal. She will call you to tell all of you about the details soon." I commented as soon as Akira's phone started to ring.

" _Hello? It's Makoto. My apologies, but I won't be able to join you today. I've been called into meeting with the principal."_ Ann and I were able to hear her talking through Akira's phone.

"Katsuo just told us that a moment ago." Akira replied.

" _I told him in case I couldn't call you by myself. Well, there's no need to worry though. More importantly, there is a special on TV about the Phantom Thieves!"_

"Huh? What did it say!?" Ann was surprised about what Makoto said.

" _They were talking all about our calling cards."_

"For real!?" Ann looked so happy, I just cracked a smile.

" _Anyway, my apologies about today. I'll have to see you all another time."_ Makoto hung up.

"Who was that?" Yusuke asked Akira.

"It was Makoto; she said we are now on a special for TV because of our calling cards." Akira explained about the conversation.

"Really!? That's freakin' crazy!" Sakamoto was excited about it.

"I hope all this excitement doesn't place us on the police's radar." Yusuke on the other hand, not so much.

"Hey, nobody said that being a Phantom Thief would be that easy." I made a statement because of how bigger things became for us.

"It'll be fine! No way they'd find out about that weird other worlds!" The punk sounded confident about it.

"True, but…Do you remember what the fake Kaneshiro said towards the end?" Yusuke sounded concerned. I shared the sentiment.

"You mean the other Metaverse user?" Akira added.

"Yeah, he said we're not the only ones who are doing it…" Ann was worried.

"If it's the case, knowing there is someone besides us traveling there could be a bad omen for us." I couldn't stop thinking there's that possibility. Sakamoto wasn't worried though.

"Eh, not gonna let it bother me. Far as we know, he was just pullin' that shit out of his ass."

"I hope that's the case…" Yusuke and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I doubted Kaneshiro would come up with anything to save himself when he was already defeated.

"Anyways, in your face, Akechi!" Despite that comment Sakamoto did say to my friend, I had to keep my cool, so I didn't want to let them know about my friendship with Goro. Besides, I guess it is normal he would say something like that because how that kind of rivalry we had. "Now whaddaya want do about our next target!?

"Hold your horses, cowboy! It's too soon to talk about it." I had to cut that out because we just escaped from a dangerous situation.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Still, people might expect a lot from our next move considering how they're getting." Ann was pleased despite objecting about thinking of our next target.

"We can't just pick any old schmo now." Sakamoto added.

"There is no need to hurry though. Counting Kamoshida, we've claimed three consecutive victories, right? We should just lay low and wait for all his excitement to blow over." Well said, Yusuke. We need to keep things subtle.

"In that case, how about we have another celebration?" Aaaaaaand subtly is gone, thanks, Ann.

"Oh yeah! We talked about making a welcomin' party for Miss President and Big Bro's birthday too! By the way, that briefcase? It's pretty damn expensive! Let's sell it and drop the cash on a party for them!" Sakamoto knew how to get on my nerves.

"Cut that out, would you? I said to stop calling me that."

"Wow… Seems like the 'lay low and wait' idea has gone completely out the window." Morgana wasn't entirely agree with that idea of a party.

"And they are using my birthday as an excuse to celebrate it. I completely agree with you."

"So we can count you out then, Morgana?" Ann tone sounded pretty suspicious, almost manipulating him.

"Uh… what are you talking about? I was just saying we should try and keep our party on the down low." He fell for that easy trick, how predictable.

"Hahaha, that's the spirit. Well, I'm gonna let Makoto know!" Ann pulled her phone out and started calling Makoto about the party. "…Hi, Makoto? There's something we forgot to tell you! So… Oh" After a couple of seconds, she interrupted herself while doing a serious expression while pushing the speaker button.

"What's wrong?" Yusuke asked her.

" _Hello? I hope you remember we have finals next week. Yusuke, Katsuo and Morgana excluded, of course."_ No one looked happy about what she said. _"If you wish not to stand out, you had best not get bad grades, OK? That is something I simply would not be able to overlook as student council president! For now, behave and concentrate on your studies. We can have fun once finals are over… Understood?"_ Everyone nodded; I got a chill down my spine because of that kind of tone she used.

"Urrrgh…" Sakamoto got depressed about it.

"Welp, good thing I'm not a student anymore. Sucks to be you guys." I said it while I kept walking and saying goodbye to them. Good thing I wasn't the one who was the killjoy for them.

Nothing unusual happened that night except Kaneshiro on TV, his expression made me chuckle of how pathetic he looked. That was a cathartic feeling if I have to guess. I started to read everyone's opinions through chat.

 **Makoto** : This reaction is incredible. I'm honestly shocked to see it.

 **Yusuke** : It is only natural people are surprised. Even the police were struggling to catch him.

 **Ann** : Yeah. By the way, you said you were called in by the principal?

 **Ann** : Did something happened?

 **Makoto** : It was regarding my investigations of the incident with Mr. Kamoshida.

 **Katsuo** : I fucking knew it!

 **Akira** : Knew what?

 **Katsuo** : It's just about something I talked with Makoto before meeting you guys.

 **Akira** : It's everything alright then?

 **Makoto** : Don't worry. I didn't mention a word about any of you.

 **Makoto** : I essentially told him I was unable to find any information.

 **Akira** : Are you going to be OK?

 **Makoto** : I will.

 **Makoto** : I've graduated from my role as exemplary honor student.

 **Makoto** : From now on, I'm going to be more honest with myself.

 **Katsuo** : Honor before reason, smart gal.

 **Makoto** : It's quite a refreshing feeling.

 **Ryuji** : What're you gonna do now? Wanna stay with the Phantom Thieves?

 **Makoto** : That's my intention, assuming it wouldn't be any trouble.

 **Ryuji** : What about you, Big Bro?

 **Katsuo** : Fucking enough with "Big Bro" crap, alright?

 **Katsuo** : But yeah, I will stick with you guys. It sure beats monotony anyways.

 **Akira** : Welcome aboard.

 **Ryuji** : It'd actually be a big problem if you two didn't stick with us.

 **Yusuke** : We should allow them to join us. It would be greatly convenient.

 **Makoto** : Well then, I hope I can continue getting along with all of you.

 **Ann** : That includes Katsuo?

 **Makoto** : Yes

 **Katsuo** : Don't worry guys, I'm sure it won't be another discussion ever again.

* * *

Work and more work until I got the free night on Sunday 10th. Just when I thought I felt free at last, I got a message.

 **Ann** : Hey Katsuo! Finals are coming, and we need your help to study at Leblanc!

 **Katsuo** : Why me? I think Makoto should be a better help than just me.

 **Ann** : I asked her too. She is coming with us. The thing is we could split between two people to help us with that.

 **Katsuo** : Let me think…

I was thinking for a moment if to go or not, but I promised Akira to help everyone, even with exams. Sometimes I hated myself for doing promises.

 **Katsuo** : Alright, I had nothing to do anyway.

 **Ann** : Thank you so much!

 **Katsuo** : Yeah yeah, just give 10 minutes to ride my bike at Yongen-Jaya.

I took my helmet, my backpack, and my favorite book because that would be a long night for us. I was traveling from my apartment to Leblanc to help those kids. The good thing was they just arrived like me, so I wasn't late like always. We came inside the coffee shop and saw Akira watching the news from the TV. I never commented on the aesthetics of that place. I liked how rustic and classy it was. I never was there before as a customer, so Ann told me once that coffee was excellent. I should taste it by myself while reading my book, like a true gentleman.

" 'Sup? We're here to hang out." Of course, the school wouldn't be the first thing coming out of Sakamoto's head.

"That's not why we're here! We need to study for finals!" Ann stared at him with annoyance. Did she never told him about this or he just didn't pay attention?

"*sigh* Why are Katsuo and me here too…?" It seems Ann never told Makoto about the study session.

"You're one of us now, so of course you gotta help us. We're in trouble if you two don't teach us, you know?" That punk was happy to see us helping with finals, and I despised finals.

"But why is Katsuo here too? He is not a student." Makoto commented while looking at me.

"I promised those kids to help them with studying, but only with Literature, English, and History. I will leave Math and Science up to you. Besides, Ann told the coffee from here is good." I didn't get coffee at the end of the day, though.

"That's right. Help us please." Akira said with much confidence. I sensed the tone of his voice, I should guess it that he either didn't need to study or he didn't want to. Whichever the case, he was stuck with us.

"Even you're saying such things?" Makoto didn't like his no-so-honest response.

"Let's leave those guys be…" Ann added.

"*sigh* I couldn't ask the last time I was here… But what is this place? The storekeeper doesn't seem to be around…" Makoto looked curious about the store.

"It's where this guy lives." Sakamoto said while pointing at Akira with his thumb. Akira nodded while Makoto looked surprised. "He's got complicated circumstances… We can tell them about it, right? Actually, tell them yourself." Everyone took a comfortable position while hearing to Akira's story. I couldn't believe what I just heard. He was falsely accused of assault because he was trying to defend a woman from a drunk man. The police didn't believe him and that he doesn't remember that man. I was trying to contain my anger of how absurd was his story, neither that woman nor his parents couldn't defend him. Everyone looked down while Makoto looked horrified of such a tragic story. I finally understood Akira's situation.

"That's…That's terrible…" Makoto broke her silence.

"Terrible? That is utterly absurd! How is that even possible!? And I thought my life was already bad compared to you guys." I tried to control my anger, almost screaming inside my head.

"Ann, Yusuke, and me are pretty much the same too. I mean, it's not as bad as this guy's though. There's just something we can't ever put up with. That's why we all became Phantom Thieves." Kind of touchy was the way Sakamoto explained.

"Hey, don't forget me." Morgana interrupted.

"I know, I know. We're all part of the team." The punk replied. "By the way, Makoto, ain't there someone you can't forgive either? Like, a heart you wanna change?"

"…That's a secret." Makoto did a mischievous smile.

"Ohh, there's someone like that? You could tell us, you know. You don't gotta be so cold." Sakamoto was really curious.

"Don't bother her with that. I'm sure she has her reasons not to tell us. Not that I care of course." That curiosity was contagious though.

"That aside, do you have intention of studying for the exam?" Makoto exclaimed in a sarcastic tone.

"Not really…" The punk wasn't happy about it.

"Well too bad, you are stuck with me now. Let me help you with English first."

"It's fine if I leave then?" Makoto added.

"N-no, I'm just joking! Please teach us…" He really was hopeless.

We accommodate everything around one table to study, Akira and Sakamoto were sitting on one side while the girls took the other side. Yusuke was on the exterior while I got out of space, so I sat right behind the boys while reading my book and checking them if they were having doubts. What book I was reading you may ask. It was about reincarnation, souls that lived for so long between different lives. I was wondering what kind of person I was in my past life.

After a couple of minutes, I decided to check on Akira's and Sakamoto's exercises. Akira didn't have any issues but the punk... I couldn't help myself. "What the hell is this? It's barely English what I'm reading it!"

"Sorry! It's not easy to figure that sentence." He was trying to excuse himself.

"Then read it carefully! This is not a goddamn race. If you are focusing on finishing the exam without reading slowly and with patience, you will fail and..." I didn't remember when I switched from Snarky Tutor to Sports Coach. Everyone kept working while I was helping this lost lamb.

"Hmm, what was this term? It's 'phobia,' so it's a fear of some kind…" Makoto was helping Ann with English, despite Ann already knows it.

"I think it's a fear of open spaces. You don't hear it often, though." Ann added while Makoto looked surprised how much she knows about English.

"You would be surprised how much people suffer from 'Agoraphobia' nowadays." I commented on it.

"Leave vocabulary and long sentences to me. I suck at proper grammar, though…" Ann said it with a cheerful smile, despite not feeling confident. She was going better than Sakamoto at least.

"Even if we study English, it's not like I'm gonna use it in the future." He couldn't stop whining.

"When it comes to you, your Japanese is questionable too." I snickered of how accurate was Morgana's comment about Sakamoto.

"What are you laughin' at?" He looked upset at the cat and me.

"Nothing is just I already saw your notes and…"

"Aw shuddup!"

"Explain the writer's feelings…? What point is there in that?" Ann looked confused about the problem.

"It's impossible! I can't memorize all these formulas… Ain't there a good way of cheatin'?" The punk looked tired.

"…Why don't we take a break?" Makoto was tired too.

"Yes, please." I stood up and turned on the TV while everyone took out their drinks. I was looking for the local news if anything else comes up with. I sat in my chair while I kept reading my book until something interesting showed.

"… _And that was the follow-up report on the suspect Kaneshiro. Now Akechi-san…"_ Everyone including myself focused our attention to the TV when the TV Reporter mentioned Goro. _"This case is said to be result of the Phantom Thieves's actions, but in actuality, is this true?"_

" _Considering how a calling card was scattered about, I believe there's no mistaking that."_ Goro replied about the question they made to him. _"The question is what the Phantom Thieves actually did. If they tampered with a suspect's heart, it casts doubt on the authenticity of any confession."_

" _So then, by tampering with hearts, the Phantom Thieves are fabricating crimes that may not exist?"_ The TV Reporter asked.

" _We can't deny the possibility. There's no doubt that the Phantom Thieves are exposing hidden injustices in society."_ Goro kept talking about it. _"However, if this is done by sidestepping the law, their way of thinking is very dangerous."_

" _So in a way, they're outlaws."_

" _Yes. They're no different than the criminals they target. This cannot be overlooked."_

" _I see."_

With that, the interview was over, leaving with the rest of us with a sour expression. Sakamoto was the least happy about it.

" 'I see,' my ass. Why the hell're we bein' treated as the bad guys?" The punk was undoubtedly upset.

"Just let them say whatever they want." Ann made a really matured comment. "More people are starting to understand that what we're doing is right, after all."

"Yeah, we shouldn't care by those kinds of opinions as long we are doing what is right for us." I added.

"When I'm walkin' around in town, I hear a lot more people talkin' about us too. And the forum's been full of hype! Do you think we made it big time?" He sure was excited.

"Don't get pompous over dealing with some street thug. Save it for after we deal with a bigger target." Morgan commented about Sakamoto's thought.

"We just gotta take down a bigger one, yeah? That was the plan from the start, anyways!"

"True, it may be best if we start thinking about it." Makoto added.

"I bet we'll find one in no time. The wind's blowin' in our direction and everything! I feel like we won't lose to anything right now."

"Sorry to interrupt you, but I need you to stop there big shot." I had to intervene before he would get carried away for the excitement.

"Why is that?"

"You see, the bigger we get, the easier we are to attract attention from other undesirable people. We need to keep our guards up all the time. Don't you think that as well, Makoto?" I was serious about how the situation changed now that we became more famous than before.

"Well, we'll decide on that eventually. We need to overcome our exams first. Now then, break time's over! Let's get back to…" Before she could say anything, she interrupted Sakamoto.

"That reminds me – the celebration party. Weren't we gonna do it after exams?"

"Yes, I believe so." Makoto replied in a moody tone.

"Where should we go? I feel like I'll study better if I got something to look forward to."

"Then how about you should start looking at your notes? Maybe you will find the answer to where to go if you look closer to them." I was getting annoyed by him getting distracted every single time.

"The last one was a buffet at a hotel. We haven't gone anywhere since." And Morgana kept talking about the celebration. Somebody should give me a break.

"…Hm!? A Buffet!?" Yusuke sounded interested for some reason.

"Where would be good…?" Ann was thinking about it too until she got an idea. "Hey, what about fireworks!? A fireworks festival!"

"Oh yeah, it's that season, huh!" With Sakamoto comment, I gave up of stopping them from continuing focusing on studying, and I just sat in my place while kept reading my book.

"That sounds good to me." Not you too, Makoto. Those kids are a bad influence for you after all.

"It's hard to ignore a buffet, but I'll take the beauties of summer. Still, I demand that we feast during the festival as well." Yusuke was eager about summer.

"Do you guys own a yukata? Will you wear a yukata!?" With Morgana getting into the talk, that just left Akira and me as the only ones not caring about this.

"Doesn't a fireworks festival sound good? You think so too, right?" Sakamoto asked Akira. Please don't play along with them.

"That's sounds great." And now is just me as the only sane man. Goddamn teenagers…

"All right, fireworks festival, it is! Let's look for a good one!"

"Study comes first, though. I won't let you off if you fail any of them. Are we clear?" With Makoto's serious tone, Sakamoto stopped talking about the festival.

"Y-yes, ma'am…" He sounded terrified by her signature death glare.

"Thank You!" I shouted with relief while extending my arms into the air.

We continued studying until it was pretty late at night. I made slightly progress with Sakamoto while Makoto helped Ann and Yusuke. Akira didn't have many problems on his own, and Morgana just fell asleep. Despite goofing around and losing some years of my life by helping them, it was a fun night. I never studied with friends before because of my isolated attitude during high school. It was a nice change of routine after all. With summer around the corner, things become more interesting if I have to say. When it comes to fun, there's always trouble with what happened during exams.


	11. Among the Stars

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

After a long week, everyone finished their finals. It was July 16th, two days away before the fireworks festival. We just got reunited on the usual spot, Ann and Sakamoto looked pale for some reason.

"Exams are finally over… I'm so exhausted…" Ann was the first one commenting about the week.

"I can get back to actually sleepin' in peace…" The punk was exhausted, not even for his loud tone.

"Huh. You must have been studying pretty hard if it kept you up at night." Makoto was cheerful than usual; exams are never a problem with her.

"Nah, I was up playin' video games. Slackin' off is just too much fun…" So everything I did to make him learn every single topic was for naught.

"I know, right!? I kept cleaning my room instead of studying! It might even be too clean now…" Ann too? After she asked Makoto and me to help her with the study session at Leblanc? That must be a joke.

"You two are perfect exemplars of escapism can mean." Yusuke commented about the behavior of those two kids.

"Why I'm not surprised, though...?" I felt pretty disappointed with them.

Call me a hypocrite, but I never studied for exams, despite I always got the highest scores. The difference was I kept reviewing every single day almost to death. Even classes that I still hated such as Science or Math, I got the best scores because I don't want those teachers to pester me every time.

"And I can only imagine what the end result will be." Makoto sighed.

"Whatever, it's over with now. Who cares about that anymore!? What's really important is the Phantom Thieves' popularity! Ain't it amazin'!?" Don't let that up to your head, punk.

"It kinda feels like our time's finally here!" Ann added.

"I have even heard people excitedly speculating about our next target. We will have to choose carefully." Yusuke commented while smiling.

"There's no need to hurry. We should spend some time thinking it over." Makoto commented on slow down the plans about the next target. I'm not so down for it just yet.

"Hold up, the most important thing now is our celebration party" Dammit, Sakamoto! "I hope you guys didn't forget. It's the fireworks festival on the 18th. I guess we're good meetin' up in Shibuya, yeah? Let's say… 5 pm!"

"You sure are on top of these kinds of things…" Morgana wasn't as excited as him.

"I hope to be there on time. It's going to be a lot of people with both traffic and trains." I recalled about it because 18th would be Monday, my free day. Just before doing anything else, I got a phone call. "Excuse me, guys." It was my boss from my delivery job; it was weird to call me at those hours.

"Hello?"

" _Katsuo-san? Thank goodness you answered."_ I sounded anxious for some reason.

"Yeah, so what is it?"

" _It's an emergency! Please come here to pick up this package for the priest at Kanda."_

"Emergency? What happened to the other couriers?" I didn't like how my boss sounded.

" _One of them was reported sick, and the others are already busy, you are the only one available! Please, I will pay you to double for this!"_

"Fine, I'll be there in no time." I sighed in disbelief.

" _Thank you! You are a lifesaver!"_ I hung up my phone.

"Lifesaver my ass…"

"Who was on the phone?" Sakamoto asked me.

"It was my boss from my delivery job. I have to go because there's no other sucker for the job besides me. I'll see you all at the fireworks festival."

"See ya, man."

"Take care."

"Be careful out there."

I said goodbye to everyone while heading right to my bike. It was a real pain those last minute 'emergencies' because no one wanted to work at those hours around Tokyo. From what the company told me, the package is for the priest in a church at Kanda. I don't remember the last time a stepped inside one though. I picked up the package and rode to Kanda for 20 minutes. Kanda was peaceful because it wasn't as busy like Shibuya, Shinjuku or even Akihabara during evenings. I kind of got lost on my way.

"Excuse me sir, do you know where the church is?" I asked an old man for directions.

"Which one?" He told me while he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh…right, I forgot there are a lot of them here. This one on the paper…" I showed to the old man the address marked on the package.

"Oooh, is not too far from here. Go straight down the street and should find it at your left side." The old man pointed at where to go exactly.

"Huh, thank you very much, sir." I kept riding my bike until I stopped in front of the church. Once inside, I looked around and heard the calming music that surrounded the place. There were few people on the benches, praying. What caught my attention was a Kosei student playing shogi by herself; I didn't mind her, so I kept walking. From what I saw, the priest wasn't around, and that worries me if he got desperate by waiting or something. I asked the teenage girl since she was the only not praying in that church.

"Excuse me, miss?"

"Sorry, I'm not interested in doing autographs at the moment." She replied with annoyance.

"Autographs…What are you talking about?" I got confused about what she said.

"Are you not here to ask me questions or something?"

"Look, sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to know if the priest is around."

"Why you need the priest?" Her attitude toned down and looks even more confused than me.

"I got a delivery for him, do you know if he's here or not?"

"Sorry, he just left a couple of minutes ago. I don't know for how long he would be out until he comes back though."

"Is that so? This is just great, and now I have to wait here." I just sat on one of the benches with an annoyed attitude. I wasn't sure for how long it will take until he comes back then. Despite my mood, the environment was oddly relaxing. I was starting to reflect on how my life had begun. I didn't understand how I got involved with the Phantom Thieves from one day to another. Even if things turn out better for me, I wasn't still sure if being part of the team was a good idea. I didn't contribute much with Mementos requests due to my work. I barely hang out with them. I'm still not sure how to connect with teenagers although Akira is helping me with that. I was trying to get more involved like the study session at Leblanc before finals and with upcoming fireworks festival. Sakamoto calling me Big Bro was kind of painful, I don't want to be worshiped or being admired, I'm not even someone to be followed. I wondered how I became friends with Goro and Souta when we were younger, despite not being anything special. Friendships were painful, there was always a goodbye and being forgotten.

"Excuse me…" The teenage girl asked while she was still sitting on the bench from the front row and playing shogi.

"Yes?" I replied while still with my head down.

"Are you alright? You look kind of down."

"Me? I don't even know, maybe this kind of places make me think a lot for some reason."

"I understand, this place can be calming most of the time. It helps me to think new strategies."

"You are talking about shogi right?"

"Do you play it?"

"No."

"Do you want to try it for one round until the priest comes back?" She moved to make some space for me to play shogi.

"I…I guess, is better than doing nothing anyways." I just walked and sat down while she accommodated the pieces on their default positions. I never played shogi before, so I couldn't expect to win anyways. That girl was a completely different level than any of us when it comes to strategy. It was a curb-stomp battle of epic proportions. Every move I made, she made a counter attack without time to react. One of the oddest things was she started to get way too serious to the point of calling herself the Queen of the Togo Kingdom. I mean, I just played shogi with a stranger, and things escalated pretty quickly. What the hell I got into?

"Check!" She yelled proudly. "And those, the Togo Kingdom prevailed once more."

"Well, that was…quite a match, miss." I was perplexed of her odd behavior during the round.

"Sorry, I think I got carried." She looked embarrassed

"No kidding, but I'm amazed at how you managed all those moves without a second thought. Do you play that often?"

"Yes, I usually practice with the priest here."

"I see, and why here though? Are you Catholic or something?"

"I'm not so sure, I find this place nice. Do you have a belief in particular?"

"Not really, I'm pretty open to most beliefs, but I prefer to do not stick to one unless having one or two things worth of learning about."

"Interesting, may ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Could you tell me your name?"

"Why?"

"If I want to request you for another match the next time we talk."

"I don't think I'm that good with shogi, you know?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm teaching someone else right now because I want to find new strategies."

"Are you sure? Well, in any case, I'm Ryuunosuke Katsuo, and you?"

"Togo Hifumi."

"It is nice to be your acquaintance, Togo-san."

"The same for you, 'Noble Dragon'…" It caught me off guard of what she called me.

"What the…Noble Dragon?"

"Oh sorry is just 'Ryuunosuke' is a pretty unusual surname. It exactly means 'dragon' and 'noble' together."

"I didn't know that, but I doubt I'm that noble." Compared to what my family does, I'm not even a good guy from all things considered.

"That's alright, not many people can see themselves as heroes of some kind."

"I guess…" I was thinking for a moment until I heard an old man's voice.

"Seems that you found another practice partner while I was busy, isn't that right?" It was the priest you arriving not too long ago.

"Yes, it was fun." Togo-san commented.

"My apologies, sir. I brought the order you requested not too long ago." I handed the package to the priest while I was pulling out a pen and the receipt. "I need you to sign this, please."

"I hope I didn't cause you much trouble because of my absence."

"Not by much, at least I sat here and reflected before playing with Togo-san."

"That's good that you got your time to grasp life."

"Well job here is done; it was a pleasure to meet you, Togo-san."

"Likewise, Ryuunosuke-san. Take care."

Left the church with a lot to think about, I never thought those kinds of places made me feel too much.

* * *

July 17th in the morning, I got another package but this one was a special request. I already got the idea for who was the delivery. I had to come back to Kanda for this 'special' request because my life wasn't already bad enough, seriously. Why did I keep doing promises to more people? Lucky for me, I didn't get lost like last night with the church.

The houses around neighborhood looked nice as always, but there was something that didn't inspire me confidence. I couldn't stop thinking about a lot of things from yesterday. The address was pretty far from the area, what kind of house would that far? After looking number by number, I finally found the right one but I didn't like it. From all the places I had to deliver, it was an orphanage.

Geminis Orphanage, what an odd name. The exterior looked pretty old, with decaying paint on the walls and dusty playground. The front yard could use some work, too bad I had no idea about gardening or someone to help with. I had nothing but shiver while I was walking towards that place.

Right in front of the door, I knocked twice to see if there was someone at home. I heard steps coming and I scary-looking man with long brown hair opened the door.

"What do you want?" His tone was really gruff.

"Hello? I got a special package for Arisato Minako, is she here?" I tried to not lose my cool.

"Who's at the door Shinji-kun~?" I heard a woman's voice coming from inside.

"Someone saying he got a special delivery for you hon, were you expecting something?" The man answered to the woman, I presumed the woman was Arisato-san.

"Let me see..." I heard steps coming until she appeared on the front door. "Hi, Ryuunosuke-kun! How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you for asking Arisato-san."

"Do you know him hon?" The man asked to Arisato-san.

"Yes, he was the young man that delivered my teacup at Shibuya the other day."

"Oh, that's right...dammit Mitsuru." He mumbled something.

"I didn't introduce you to my husband. Ryuunosuke-kun, this Aragaki Shinjiro. Shinji-kun, this Ryuunosuke Katsuo."

"Hey"

"Sup"

It was an awkward introduction from one cheerful woman to two confused men.

"I know this is none of my business, but I noticed you have different surnames despite being married." I didn't want to ask, but the curiosity got the best of me.

"Please excuse her, we are actually engaged, but she never stops telling anyone that we are married."

"Well, I don't want to wait until spring." She inflated her cheeks with an upset tone. "Anyways, I hoped Shinji-kun didn't scare you, Kat-kun."

"Kat-kun?" Why everyone kept calling me names? "No, absolutely no ma' am." Regardless of what I said, I was just a little.

"Don't worry, it's alright if you are. He doesn't leave the best impressions at first, but once you know him he is a big softie~" She said while hugging him in cheesy tone.

"Please, don't do this…" He blushed but didn't mind about the hug. "I have to check on Yuki-chan. It is nice to see you, kid."

"The same, Aragaki-san." I said goodbye to him while he gave a kiss on Arisato's-san cheek and came back inside. She looked at me with a weird expression.

"Are you alright? You looked nervous for some reason."

"It's nothing." I replied quickly. She wasn't satisfied with my answer.

"Don't lie to me; I can see everything on your eyes. It's something bothering you?" She knew something about my behavior although I'm a good liar. Was I that predictable? Damn.

"Well, I don't want to sound insensitive, but I have bad vibes with orphanages in general."

"It's okay, I know most orphanages have a bad reputation, but we are trying our best to change that."

"Even so, why you owned an orphanage?"

"That would be a story for another time. Why don't you come in? I can make you some tea." She sounded a really kind of person, for some reason she reminded me to Akira in kindness.

"I would like to thank you, but I have to refuse the offer because I have more work to do and I will need to rest for tomorrow to see some friends at Shibuya for the fireworks festival."

"OHMYGOSHISTOMORROWISTHEFIREWORKSFESTIVAL!?" I jumped with surprise due to her sudden change of behavior. "Thank you for reminding me that, I need to tell that to Shinji-kun. It was nice to see you again. Please take care of yourself and enjoy the festival." Despite her hasting attitude, she never broke that smile.

"Sure… Take care you two." I was out of words of how things ended. I mean, what the hell just happened? I never expected to see her again and her fiancé this time, owning that old place for some reason, I wondered why though...

* * *

At the evening, things were as calm as always. I looked at my phone about the weather forecast of possibly raining the next day, I doubted that would happen but bringing an umbrella in the case is always important. Summer rains are unpredictable after all. While working at Crossroads as always, I checked the messages from the others about tomorrow plans.

 **Ryuji** : Tomorrow's the fireworks festival! Let's meet in Shibuya at 5!

 **Katsuo** : No promises, it's going to be hard for me to find parking with so many people.

 **Ryuji** : Why not just take the train instead of going in your bike?

 **Katsuo** : Maybe…I will try it.

 **Ann** : Hey, Makoto. Are you going to wear a yukata?

 **Makoto** : I'm planning on it.

 **Yusuke** : Yukatas are great part of the summer tradition… They truly heighten a woman's beauty.

 **Katsuo** : I have to agree. It is something hypnotizing about a woman wearing yukata.

 **Yusuke** : I think I will wear mine as well.

 **Katsuo** : I said a woman…

 **Ryuji** : You've got one, Yusuke…? How about you two?

 **Katsuo** : Nay

 **Akira:** I don't have a yukata either.

 **Ann** : Hey, I know! Why don't you come without your glasses?

 **Katsuo** : But don't you think he needs them to see?

 **Akira** : Those aren't prescription. I don't need them at all in actuality.

 **Katsuo** : Really? I didn't know that.

 **Makoto** : In any case. What's the point in that?

 **Ann** : I dunno, you don't get to see fireworks every day, so it'd be sad just wearing normal clothes!

 **Ann** : I was just thinking he might want to go for a change of pace.

 **Ryuji** : That sounds great! You should totally come without glasses!

 **Katsuo** : I don't see the difference, but is his choice after all.

 **Ryuji** : Welp, you guys better not be late tomorrow!

I decided to put back my phone after the chat was over. Already outside for my break, I decided to see Mifune-san because it's been a long time since I talked to her before I became a Phantom Thief. Maybe my luck finally changed after everything I went through. I walked to her usual spot, and she looked happier than usual.

"Hey, Mifune-san."

"Oh, Katsuo-kun. Long time no see, I was waiting for you."

"Is that one of your predictions or just you are saying that?"

"Whichever at your interpretation."

"I don't like those vague answers. Anyways, I came to see if my luck changed or not."

"Sure thing, have a sit." She started to shuffle the deck while I was waiting. It's weird that her last prediction was accurate about The Reversed Tower: Those warnings turn out to be true for the best; my actions led me to be one of them under unusual circumstances. I was hoping if the thing would be different for me. She stopped shuffling the deck, and one card came out, it was the Hermit in the upright position.

"You know what this card means, Katsuo-kun?" She tested me if I finally learned the meaning of each card.

"It's the Hermit, upright position."

"And…?"

"I guess it means reflection and knowledge…What it has to do with my luck?"

"As you can see, your luck didn't change at all, but it seems that things started to move because of your actions. Have been doing something different since the last time I saw you?"

"Well…I made some new friends since the last month. They are good people, but sometimes I have self-doubts if they deserve me as a friend."

"That's what the Hermit is all about, knowing yourself and understanding what goals you set for them and your future. If they are a positive influence for you, then you should keep looking for them." I trusted her predictions and advice about this.

"I guess so, thank you for the reading."

"No problem, now that would be 5,000 yens."

"Wait a sec… I thought you said I don't have to pay unless may luck changed. I don't feel anything different."

"Yeah I said that, but your luck at least made a different turn than other times. I'm more surprised than you about this."

"I suppose it's fair enough. You never stop to amaze me." I took my wallet and gave her the 5K bill. Well, at least I had to pay the fortune reading after so many attempts of my luck not changing at all.

I thanked her before going back to work and prepare for tomorrow's plans with the others. I had to admit; maybe Mifune-san was right about sticking with them so at least we can help each other. I was pretty sure they won't have any problems as long Akira and Makoto are supporting us. Oh boy, what a day…


	12. New Problems, Old Faces

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

 **ReallyLazyReader: You already know that I answered your question at AO3, but is good you wanted to encourage. Thanks!**

* * *

"Damn you Shibuya and your congested places!" I yelled at full lung because of how ridicule was to park my bike. Just when I thought it would be a relaxing day and that happened on the worst possible ways. Good thing I didn't listen to Sakamoto's advice of using the train instead of my bike when there are even more people using trains and possibly getting lost between lines.

With too many people on the outside, I decided to find them on the station if they were already waiting.

"Please, don't do this to me now..." I heard a girl's sophisticated voice, I looked at her, and she was struggling with a vending machine. Her bright-color curly hair was that caught my attention. She was kind of cute.

"Got problems with that machine?" I asked her.

"Yes, I'm trying to get my green tea, but it got stuck." She looked in distress about something so simple.

"Yeah, I know this one. This machine always has stuck drinks all the time. Why nobody fixed this thing yet?"

"I should ask someone around and…"

"No need for that, I know a little trick to drop it." I had to interrupt her while offering a better solution.

"Really? How?" She looked curious.

"Watch it…" You may be thinking I tried a fancy secret skill to unstuck drinks. You are only half right. I only gave a little kick on the sides, which released not only the green tea bottle but also my favorite apple juice soda. "There you go."

"Wow… that was incredible. It's almost like magic." She looked so happy, such a bright smile.

"Not really, I just watched it once on a really old American show." Never thought it would work in real life, to be honest. "Well, better get going. Enjoy the fireworks festival." I just kept walking while she stayed behind.

With so many people it would be hard to find anyone, but lucky for me that wasn't the case. I found Ann wearing a blue yukata with colorful circles. She was alone by herself.

"There you are." She looked at me while waiting. "You came earlier than the other boys."

"You think? I thought I came late because there are a lot of people here."

"Nah, Makoto and I came here not long. Have you seen the others yet?"

"Nope, I don't know where they are right now. I hope they are not doing something stupid yet."

"They are fine as long Akira and Morgana are keeping an eye for them." She looked relaxed about it.

"Speaking of which, you said Makoto and you came early Where is she now?"

"She needed to adjust her yukata at the restroom; I think it won't take too much time. How do I look by the way?" She started to spin around while showing me her yukata.

"You look good." My opinion was rather too simplistic about her.

"Just good or I look pretty?" She kept asking me about her looks.

"I mean, it really remarks with your blond hair. I would say it is a nice contrast."

"Mhhh, I see…" She kind of looked disappointed, but she didn't mind though. I will assume that it took her by surprise that a man wouldn't complement in that way like I did. I guess I was better because I respected her to be at least more down to earth than most teenagers at her age.

Not too much after that, Makoto showed with a white yukata with red flowers on the design. I was speechless.

"Hey, you came earlier…" Makoto walked towards Ann and me.

"I… yes, the traffic was horrible though." I stumbled with my words for some weird reason.

"Are you okay, Katsuo? You look pale."

"It's nothing, maybe allergies. By the way, you looked pretty good." I replied to Makoto, but I felt like I wanted to cough.

"Thanks." She responded with a smile.

"Mhhhh…" Ann gave me a strange look, like something was bothering her.

"Is something wrong, Ann?" Makoto asked her.

"I thought where the others are right. We should go then."

"Sure, let's go." I said it while being hasty. We started to walk around if those guys already arrived, I would be so pissed with Sakamoto if he gets late after telling us of being punctual every damn time. Just when we finally found them, they were accompanied by two girls. Yusuke was the only one talking to the girls while Sakamoto and Akira were talking to each other.

"Hey there they are, seems they are already busy." Makoto commented.

"I will go with them and tell them about…" I was about to go with the guys until Ann stopped me.

"Wait."

"What is it now?"

"I want to see how this is going." Ann was smiling mischievously at the scene. I was curious about how things will go for them.

"That's enough! You're disgracing your yukata. You should be more aware of your womanhood." Of course, Yusuke being himself, he made those two girls go away without saying a word. I just facepalm myself.

"How could you!?" Sakamoto was certainly disappointed.

"Why don't you go after them then? Ann just yelled at him while we were finally moving towards them.

"So those are the kinds of girls you like, Ryuji." Makoto commented.

"Uh, well… That's…" He was trying to excuse himself, I assumed.

"…You know, Yusuke's such a pretty boy, but he is really missing out because of what he says." Ann added.

"I'm kind of jealous of his brutal honesty because at least he doesn't look like a huge jerk to other people." If I do say such things, I would end up as the biggest insensitive asshole.

"I guess, but he's more likable since he stays true to his ideals. Definitely more than somebody I know." We stared at Sakamoto because of Makoto's comment.

"I heard that Ryuji's pretty much failed his exams." And of course, Morgana had to open his mouth make him look bad. Even if he is loud, saying something like that at him just too much. Someone should give him a break already. Makoto and I responded with an angry attitude.

"Oh"

"Is that so?"

"Mona, you little…" Sakamoto was looking annoyingly at Morgana.

"Hey, it's gonna get crowded if we don't get going." Ann told us about moving on.

"Agreed." Yusuke replied.

We moved to outside before the fireworks began. Sakamoto stayed behind while talking to himself, and he didn't notice us that we are left.

"But man, you both look amazin' in yukata! Talk about Japanese beauty…"

"Hey! Stop talking to yourself and get moving!" I yelled at him the farther we got.

We took our places among the crowd, with the firework on the sky; it was hard for us to see it between the people and the tall building not letting us see the show. It was a bummer, and that was just the beginning: It started to rain, making us find a safe place away from the rain.

"Why now…" Makoto commented while the raindrops kept falling.

The safest place we found was right in front of the convenience store. It was the worst time when I forgot to bring my umbrella that day. Yusuke used his traditional fan to cover him from the rain, not that is helped him though. Akira tried to take out some water from his left ear while Morgana was shaking his fur. Ryuji and Ann were squeezing their clothes.

I took out my handkerchief from my left pocket to wipe my face, but Makoto had nothing with her to the same thing.

"Take this; you are going to catch a cold if you don't wipe your hair with this." I offered her my handkerchief.

"Thanks, you are considered." She grabbed it and wiped her hair from the rainwater. We looked at the guys trying to look away while Ann squeezed her yukata, exposing her legs. "Ann."

"Yeah?"

We looked at the guys with nervous reactions, Sakamoto wasn't subtle enough.

"Come on!" Ann yelled at him because was he the closest one next to her.

"Look like you need help…" He made mocking monotone. That made Ann upset.

"Then why don't you go buy me a towel already, huh!? At least Katsuo is a gentleman with Makoto. What about you?" Ann just grabbed Sakamoto from his clothes and started to shake him.

Makoto and I sighed after looking those two kids fighting. We heard the announcer around Shibuya: Due to the sudden rain, the fireworks festival got canceled. Makoto, Akira and I looked at a limousine with two adults escorting a teenager to get inside the car. That girl was the same I saw earlier with the vending machine. Was she a celebrity or something? It didn't matter for us though as everyone decided to get inside the store before the weather gets worse. More people were already taking refuge in the same store as well.

"Ack… We're just tryin' to get outta the rain, but look how crowded it is…" Sakamoto said it while looking around the store.

"I guess everyone had the same idea…" Ann added while looking at Makoto lost in thought. "What's up?"

"Mh, I think I just saw someone I know…" Is Makoto talking about the same girl we saw a moment ago?

"You mean the girl in the black car?" Ann asked, seems I wasn't the only one knowing her.

"Well, she's got a ride… Time to show your skills, Mona! We need you as a car!" Are you serious, Sakamoto?

"It's not possible in this world!" Morgana corrected him.

"My feet hurt… It's cold… The festival's been canceled… This sucks…"

"Tell me about. I was looking forward this for the first time." The sentiment was mutual between Ann and me.

"We made such a commotion with the public, and this is what we get? Laaame." It could be worse, my punk friend. "Aren't heroes that lurk in the shadows boring?"

"I like the shade." What the hell was that, Akira?

"What are you, moss!? I wanna change the world with a loud bang, like a huge firework!"

"Then suck it, because we don't have anybody at this moment: Unless you have a better idea of course." Sorry to be rude with him but I had to make clear that targets like him are not easy to be handed over.

"...Then again, we aren't gonna find someone bigger than Kaneshiro that easily."

"The rain is letting up. Thought it's regrettable, we should go our separate ways for today." Yusuke told this while the rain stopped.

"Yeah. Let's go home." Just like what Morgana said, we left the store, and everyone went to the trains except me who I have to find my bike from the parking slot. I hate when the bike seat gets wet every time rain falls. With nothing else to do for the rest of the day, I decided to go back home and stretch my limbs. I had to ride carefully because the roads are pretty dangerous after rain.

* * *

I managed to get home safe and sound. Once inside my apartment, I took off my wet clothes and changed them with more comfortable ones. I turned on my small TV to watch the local news as always, nothing different than the usual psychotic breakdowns incident around town. That is until something caught my interest.

" _Onto other news… The international hacktivist group Medjed has released a statement to the Phantom Thieves."_ I didn't like how it sounded as the TV Reporter kept talking about that. _"… These are the details of the message that are posted on Medjed's website. 'To the Phantom Thieves causing uproar in Japan: Do not speak of your false justice. We do not need the spread of such falsehood. We are the true executors of justice.'"_

What a bunch of phonies.

" _However, we are magnanimous. We will give you an opportunity to repent your ways. If you agree to a change of heart, we will accept you as our own. If you reject our offer, the hammer of justice will find you."_

Why they couldn't stop using the word "justice" in every damn sentence? It just made me even more suspicious about every time I heard them using that stupid word.

"' _We are Medjed. We are unseen. We will eliminate evil.' Akechi-san, why do you think this announcement was made at this time?"_ The TV Report stopped reading the message and started to ask Goro about that.

" _I don't know the details, but there's no doubt that they were provoked by the Phantom Thieves. Whether it's a sense of rivalry or a simple attention grab given the recent trends. I cannot say… Regardless, it's quite a nuisance."_

" _A nuisance?"_ The reporter asked Goro.

" _Both Medjed and the Phantom Thieves are nothing more than groups that uphold an egoistic justice."_ I didn't like he was thinking that we were the bad guys, but I had to let that aside. _"It's possible that more people like these will continue to appear due to their influence. In that respect, the Phantom Thieves face a very serious crime."_

Well, at least Goro wasn't stupid about how shallow Medjed was. It is too convenient that those guys have the authority to plea us right now when we just became famous. In the end, he didn't like Medjed or us because we are doing stuff outside of the law. It was essential to me talk about this with the others right away.

 **Ryuji** : We gotta talk about Medjed.

 **Katsuo** : I was thinking the same.

 **Ann** : You mean those guys people online are going nuts over?

 **Yusuke** : Medjed…

 **Yusuke** : That name seems to come from one of the obscure gods from the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

 **Makoto** : I saw the news too.

 **Makoto** : For some reason, they think we speak of false justice…

 **Katsuo** : They are a bunch of hypocrites.

 **Katsuo** : They are on to us because we are actually doing something to help people while those guys are only interested on themselves.

 **Yusuke** : Now then, what exactly did you want to speak of regarding Medjed?

 **Ryuji** : Welllllll, why don't we go after them as our next target?

 **Yusuke** : What a sudden suggestion.

 **Katsuo** : What a stupid suggestion.

 **Ryuji** : Why not? I mean they're like, bad hackers or something, right?

 **Makoto** : Technically, they're crackers.

 **Makoto** : Those who use the internet to illegally access and alter data.

 **Makoto** : Medjed is an organized group of such people recognized by the larger international community.

 **Yusuke** : So they operate on a global scale?

 **Ann** : That makes them even bigger than Kaneshiro!

 **Ryuji** : Right!?

 **Ryuji** : Then it's settled. Our next target's gonna be Medjed.

 **Ryuji** : I wonder if the Nav'll get a hit if we put Medjed in.

 **Ann** : Oh, right!

 **Akira** : Let's try it out.

 **Katsuo** : Are you guys even paying attention? This is bad news!

 **Ann** : Why are you saying that?

 **Makoto** : Because that would be impossible. It has to be a pseudonym. We don't even how many people Medjed is.

 **Ann** : Oh…

 **Ryuji** : Wouldn't we get at least one member's info if we try and look into it though?

 **Katsuo** : And do you know exactly how are we supposed to do that?

 **Ryuji** : No…

 **Katsuo** : That's what I thought.

 **Makoto** : Even if we did, how would we discover their location?

 **Makoto** : The only confirmed presence of Medjed had been online.

 **Yusuke** : This is a greater problem than simply finding their keywords.

 **Yusuke** : Unless you have any more ideas, Ryuji?

…

 **Ann** : Hellooo?

 **Yusuke** : …It seems he had suggested this without putting much thought into it.

 **Ryuji** : C'mon, we can't back down now! People are all excited about it!

 **Ryuji** : Our reputation's gonna plummet if we don't face this shit.

 **Katsuo** : That doesn't matter. We should not bother with them at this moment.

 **Yusuke** : But Ryuji is right. If we remain silent, people would believe we simply chose to run away from the matter.

 **Katsuo** : I don't care; we should not get involved until we find a more viable target.

 **Makoto** : Medjed has taunted us publicity, after all…

 **Katsuo** : Grrrr…

 **Yusuke** : If they are criminals, we cannot just let them be.

 **Ann** : Yeah.

 **Ann** : And we don't have any other targets right now either.

 **Katsuo** : …I hate when people taunt me and thinking they can get away without getting of what they deserve. Alright, I guess we have to deal with them first and foremost.

 **Ryuji** : That's the spirit, Big Bro!

 **Katsuo** : Still… How are we going to get information about them unless you know someone about this?

 **Ryuji** : Hey, Akira. Let's talk to Mishima tomorrow. This is more his thing.

 **Akira** : Let's do that.

 **Katsuo** : Who is Mishima?

 **Ann** : He is in the same class as Akira and me.

 **Ann** : He created and administrates the Phan-Site.

 **Katsuo** : Interesting. If he is the most reliable source, you can get I will leave it at your hands then.

 **Ryuji** : Also, Makoto. Try seeing if your sister has any info on 'em.

 **Makoto** : It's highly unlikely, but sure.

We finished talking about Medjed, and I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to confront them without the possibility to find someone from them. It seems that I had to do my homework about gather info while I work at delivery for tomorrow. I made cynic comments, but that was overwhelmingly targeting a bigger fish than Kaneshiro was.

* * *

On the next day, July 19th, I tried to gather info around Tokyo, and most of them were useless. I was hoping if Akira and Sakamoto got something out of this Mishima guy. The results were disappointing.

 **Katsuo** : So, did you learn anything useful?

 **Ryuji** : Mishima was pretty useless. You guys get anything?

 **Makoto** : I tried asking my sister, but it seemed as though she didn't know very much about them.

 **Makoto** : She doesn't specialize in cybercrime, after all.

 **Katsuo** : Nothing good or interesting came out of the underworld net.

 **Katsuo** : Besides the fact they operate under 30 different countries around the world, the info was nothing but junk.

 **Ann** : I tried looking into them too, but I didn't come up with anything.

 **Ann** : There are really just no leads.

 **Yusuke** : Hm, our opponent is truly elusive.

 **Katsuo** : I told you guys this was a bad idea.

We interrupted the conversation because of classes, so I had to wait until we get the chance of continuing talking about this urgent matter.

 **Ryuji** : How're we gonna find Medjed?

 **Ann** : I'm not so sure. No matter how hard I look online, all I find are just unreliable rumors.

 **Yusuke** : They have carried out corporate terrorism, yet they still manage to elude arrest somehow.

 **Katsuo** : "We are unseen. We will eliminate evil."

 **Katsuo** : At least the first part is the only thing real of what they say because we have a hard time to find them.

 **Yusuke** : Kaneshiro was a lot of trouble, but this is turning out to be a much greater ordeal.

 **Ryuji** : Did we bite off more than we can chew?

 **Akira** : They're too big.

 **Makoto** : Yeah…

 **Makoto** : We don't even know whether it's a single individual or a large conglomerate of people.

 **Katsuo** : So we are stuck on the fence, huh?

 **Makoto** : And even if we do manage to get a lead, what do we do from there?

 **Ryuji** : Damn, this stuff's really not going so good…

 **Ryuji** : That's prolly why my exams're going to shit too.

 **Katsuo** : Nah-huh that is your fault.

 **Ann** : You know those are two separate things, right?

Well, that was pointless. Now that we were no longer had to deal with Medjed, we decided to continue with our lives until things changed otherwise. From how things went, I decided to take my time and talk with Akira about what to do next. Maybe it was better to see him after school and discuss this disagreement.

 **Katsuo** : Hey are you free after school?

 **Katsuo** : We need to discuss this issue about Medjed and the others.

 **Akira** : I have the spare time right now.

 **Akira** : Just tell me where I need to go.

 **Katsuo** : Alright, I'll be at Central Street in Shibuya.

 **Katsuo** : In front of the bookstore.

After that, I had to wait in the appointed place. While looking at newspapers, magazines, and other articles, I couldn't find anything useful about Medjed. Things were getting complicated for use within each second. Just at the time, Akira finally arrived, and I decided to discuss it.

"So what exactly you want to talk about?"

"Isn't that obvious? This stuff about Medjed is kind of driving me nuts."

"I thought you didn't want to get involved yesterday during the chat."

"That was until Makoto and the others mentioned of how they mocked us."

"It's alright if you want to step back. We are not going to judging you because of this more complicated than what we thought."

"You may think that, but I should tell you that I never back off in a fight before, never!"

"That's the Katsuo I know!" I heard a different voice coming from behind me.

"Who said that?" I turned my head, and I saw a young man greeted me for some reason. "Who are you?"

"Say whaaaaat? Don't tell me you forgot your good old pal." He looked happy, that is until I finally got it.

"S-Souta!? Is that really you!?" I couldn't believe that it was him. There was no one else before the Phantom Thieves besides him and Goro.

"The very same old pal. Surprised at seeing me again back in town?"

"Yes actually, why are you doing here back now that you are back in Tokyo?"

"I came here to become bigger and famous, being my own man finally." He sounded prideful of himself.

"That's good, so you finally are becoming a musician?"

"Oh, that? Sorry, but I gave up that dream a long time ago."

"Is that so? Well, I'm sure your mother would like that. How is she by the way?"

"Death." He told me in a somber and plain tone. "She died last year."

"Oh my… I-I'm so sorry to hear... I never knew that." I felt sad about hearing the news of his only relative died not too long ago.

"It's alright, because I'm no longer tied to one place. I'm a free man with dreams." He still looked as optimistic as always back on those days. "So who is that guy with the glasses with you?" He started to look at Akira.

"Oh sorry… This is Kurusu Akira; he works with me on the same bar. Akira, this is Hazama Souta, a childhood friend." I just introduced one friend to another.

"Sup! A friend of Katsuo is a friend of mine as well. I hope he doesn't give you a lot of trouble."

"Not at all, he is a pretty reliable man." Akira replied to Souta's comment.

"That's what I thought, maybe he didn't tell you yet, but this guy and I were an unbeatable team." He kept running his mouth about old memories.

"What you mean by that?" Akira asked him about that statement.

"You don't have to tell him about that, Souta." I tried to stop him from opening his mouth.

"We were the best fighters back in our turf when we were kids."

"Not really fighters per se. We got into a lot of trouble, just stupid stuff as kids." I interjected before he kept talking more things Akira didn't need to know.

"You know what they say. If you couldn't carry your weight, then you become dead meat."

"I don't think you need to take the fight by yourself." Akira commented while it caught Souta's interest.

"Why you say that?" Souta frowned at Akira.

"When you fight, one should never forget that people are watching each other's fight." I was agreed with what Akira said.

"I suppose, but those were different circumstances during our younger days." Souta didn't look so convinced of Akira's answer, but it wasn't a big deal for him. "Well, I have to go because important stuff to attend right now. It was nice to see you again Katsuo, You too Kurusu."

"The same with you Souta, I will see you another time."

"That's a deal my eel." He kept walking to Station Square. I never thought to see him after so long, and good thing he didn't mention Goro in front of Akira. I would be so screwed.

"So that's why you don't want to back off that easily, huh?" Akira looked at me while he raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that is something I learned from him to do not chicken out from any obstacle. I ended up doing that anyway when I left my family and name." I felt ashamed of myself of making such choices and not respecting Souta's lessons of bravery.

"Well, I see that you don't want to give up on Medjed just yet, so do I."

"Akira…"

"I and everyone else are going to watch your back just like you are supporting us."

"You are one of your kind. You know that?" His kind words touched my soul. "Well, I won't fail to you or the others."

"That's good, now about Ryuji calling you Big Bro…"

"One step at the time, okay? I don't like to be called like that, but Sakamoto doesn't care anyways."

"At least is better than you two fighting like him or Morgana."

"True."

"The same thing could be saying about you and Makoto no longer fighting each other. I'm pretty proud you got over it." Akira just used his signature smirk, trying to imply something else.

"As mature people we are, we decided to put our differences aside before we defeated Kaneshiro. As you said, we are still better than that loud punk and bossy cat of yours."

"I will see you tomorrow and maybe discuss more Medjed with the others."

"I'm sure of it. Thanks for listening to me despite my objections." We decided to part ways and returned with our routine of the day.

I had to admit. I couldn't stop thinking of seeing Souta ever again. Now that he was back in Tokyo, maybe I should tell to Goro about the good news and doing something the three of us together like the old times. At least that day was better than yesterday.

* * *

During the evening at work, I got another message from the group; Yusuke was the first to speak.

 **Yusuke** : So, I looked into Medjed.

 **Ann** : Did you find anything?

 **Yusuke** : As you know, Medjed is a god that appears in the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

 **Ann** : Huh?

 **Yusuke** : Its name apparently means "the smiter."

 **Yusuke** : It seems nobody is actually sure that Medjed is a real name.

 **Yusuke** : On top of that, almost everything else him is unknown.

 **Yusuke** : Even his form is unattainable.

 **Yusuke** : An unseen god that flies through the sky and shoots from his eyes…

 **Yusuke** : He truly is an elusive being.

 **Ryuji** : Dude.

 **Yusuke** : Everything about his existence is shrouded in mystery.

 **Ryuji** : Wait.

 **Yusuke** : Fundamentally speaking, ancient Egyptian art always depicted gods drawn in a side profile.

 **Yusuke** : However, Medjed is facing straight ahead in all depictions of him.

 **Yusuke** : Talking all of this into account, he seems to be quite the alien being.

 **Akira** : Well done.

 **Ryuji** : Hey, there's nothing to be impressed about.

 **Katsuo** : He did more research than any of us regarding Medjed, quite an accomplishment.

 **Yusuke** : I hope that information was at least somewhat useful.

 **Makoto** : Indeed it was.

 **Yusuke** : Should I look into it more?

 **Makoto** : That's enough, thank you.

 **Katsuo** : You can send the rest to me; maybe I can get something out of it.

Despite not being that useful for our current problem, I had to admit that it was interesting about Egyptian mythology. Yusuke really surprised me on finding so much obscure information about the meaning of the name alone. Besides Makoto, Akira and me, it is good there's someone informed like Yusuke in our team. I decided to look more about this Medjed god on the next day.

* * *

Katsuo Rank 3

Skill: Follow Up


	13. Unwanted Help

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

 **Comments:**

 **ReallyLazyReader: We are that close and that's just the beginning but nothing is sure for them.**

 **justsomerealguy: Knowing Katsuo's luck, they will discover it sooner or later.**

* * *

 **Akira:** Everyone. Hideout. NOW!

 **Yusuke:** Is there something wrong?

 **Akira:** Just go to the hideout, try to do not send messages for the moment.

 **Ann:** That sounds serious.

As soon as I read the chat, I decided not to respond if he warned us about something that important. The worst had yet to come when we finally gathered around start discussing the emergency.

"So, what's the problem?" I asked Akira about that worried behavior.

"Someone sent me messages knowing everything about us." Akira sounded severe, and I didn't like that tone.

"And with everythin' about us, you mean…?" Sakamoto was perplexed.

"Everything! Our identities, stealing hearts, Medjed, everything. Look at those messages." Akira showed us his phone with the messages from someone called Alibaba, that he wanted us to steal someone's heart. Things didn't look good for us. No, things now became so fucked up.

"Considerin' he mentioned stealin' hearts, he knows, doesn't he?" Sakamoto was astonished like everybody else.

"Seems so…" Makoto was worried.

"How were we found out?" No idea either, Yusuke.

"He may have traced our chat log…" Makoto was assuming about it, but this was too much.

"How careless of us…" Yusuke blamed himself about it.

"No, it should be my fault because it never crossed my mind that possibility about someone blowing our cover. This not good…" I was disappointed with myself because I made a mistake from an amateur.

"But how would he have known all detail with just that…?" I had no clue, Makoto.

"Do you think that there is another cause?"

"Like what, Yusuke? There so many ways of being discovered and we don't know exactly how that happened." I added.

"Yeah. I'm not sure why, but that's the feeling I get." Makoto still looked even more worried.

"Hey, is it that easy to look at someone else's chat log?" Ann asked if that was even possible.

"I don't know much about it myself, but… it's probably not impossible, I think?"

"How's it done?" Ryuji asked with an angry tone.

"Maybe they extracted our phones' data…?" Makoto made an assumption. It was most likely.

"You know, I think we should talk in code or something since the beginning." I suggested a solution in case Alibaba would try to read our chat the next time.

"Still, why's Akira getting an error when he tried to reply?"

"Perhaps the receiving end doesn't exist?" From what Ann and Makoto said, there's no chance for us to communicate until Alibaba contact us first.

"That's possible?" Sakamoto, please.

"Don't ask me everything. I told you that I don't know much about it." Makoto replied to him.

"Wait. Might this be what is referred to as hacking?" So Yusuke finally noticed it.

"Then, does that mean this guy's a hacker!?" Well, duh you punk.

"I don't get high tech stuff! What does this all mean?" Morgana looked lost entirely from our conversation.

"An unknown hacker contacted us!" Ann yelled to the cat.

"Oh boy..." I couldn't believe that.

"I see. I don't really get it." And you call yourself a master thief, Morgana?

"Then, is this person Medjed?" Yusuke asked with a serious tone.

"I doubt it, considering he says he wants to 'deal' with them. That is, only we take his words for face value." Makoto was right. It was impossible to trust someone offering us a chance to defeat Medjed.

"True..." Yusuke added.

"Hey… Wouldn't it be great if we got this guy on our side?"

"But we know nothing about his identity at all. We can't trust him." Makoto refused Sakamoto's idea.

"I would give you props for thinking about it, but I'm not going to trust on any hacker that easily." I refused as well.

"I don't think it's a bad deal though…" It is, Sakamoto, at least for the meantime.

"Even if Alibaba turns out to be a criminal? I am not helping anyone of that sort." Pretty smart said, Yusuke.

"Oh, right. That wouldn't be good…"

"The 'I've prepared the necessary tool' part makes no sense either." Morgana commented.

"Could this just be a prank?" Hell no, Ann.

"He knows an awful lot for it to be a prank." I was agreed entirely, Makoto.

"If he knows who we are, won't we get caught?" Ann kept worrying about it.

"No. If he wanted to report us, I think he would've done it already."

"I hacker with an agenda with us, huh…" I said it until Yusuke commented.

"He must have some sort of objective of his own. He did offer us a deal after all. I'm certain he'll contact us again"

"There's no telling when he'll do so though… It'd be best if we stay together. If something happens, we can act at once." I was agreed with Makoto's idea.

"Yeah. So, somewhere we can wait and hide for long hours…" Ann was lost in thought.

"How about Leblanc?" Makoto spoke pretty quickly. Everyone agreed and moved to the train station. I had to go on my separate way because I didn't want to leave my bike at Shibuya while knowing the risk about Alibaba spying us.

* * *

After some time, we finally got reunited at Leblanc. Once inside we saw an old man with stylish clothes and an apron reading some papers. Was he the owner and Akira's guardian?

"…" The man didn't pay attention to us until Akira kept walking, making him finally notice us. "…Oh? What's with the big group?"

"Good evening." Ann greeted him. "We were thinking about putting together plans for our summer."

"Hm? Are those new faces I see?" The man looked at Makoto and me.

"It's nice to meet you. My name is Niijima Makoto. I hope we're not being a bother." She presented in really manner way.

"She's our student council president." Sakamoto added.

"What about that guy behind you? He doesn't look like a student." His sight focused on me.

"Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Ryuunosuke Katsuo. I'm a no longer student, but I help those guys with exams and other things. It is my pleasure to meet you, sir." I introduced myself as well.

"Niijima…?" The old man mumbled Makoto's surname.

"Is something wrong?" Makoto asked him.

"…Nah, it's nothing. A student council president and graduated, eh? I'm stunned. I hope he's not causing you two too much trouble. I'm Sakura Sojiro, but everyone just calls me Boss." He made an assured smile until he focused his sight at Akira. "By the way, that was addressed to you. This old man'll get going and leave you kids be. All right, the store's all yours." He left the letter on the table he kept walking outside of the store.

From the impression I got, he looked like a reasonable man despite the circumstances. I mean, he is taking care of Akira despite living in the attic of a coffee shop. At least he left us alone so we can talk about everything in private.

We accommodated everything like the last time we were at Leblanc, with drinks and snacks all over the same table. I brought the same book as before because I couldn't read it lately. We started to talk about random stuff until the local news showed off.

" _We have late-breaking news on Medjed, whose notoriety rose since their statement the other day."_ The TV Reporter spoke. _"Just moments ago, a new message has been released on their website. They have announced their victory over the Phantom Thieves."_

What kind of bullshit was that?

" _Medjed also warns any Japanese citizens who praised the Phantom Thieves to stop doing so. We will report any further actions by Medjed as they arrive."_ The reporter was done talking.

Ann and Sakamoto took out their phones, but he started to whine about it.

"Oh, come on! It's in English!"

"That's your problem then. I taught you everything about English and you still complain of not knowing it." Seriously though…

"Let me see…" Ann started to translate everything for us. "The Phantom Thieves remain silent at our question. This proves that we are just. People of Japan, wake up. You must not worship the Phantom Thieves."

"What!? That's bullshit!" Tell me about it, Sakamoto and I were pretty angry. I kept quiet.

"Keep listening." Yusuke told to that punk.

"We will discipline any who worship them. The punishment is the confiscation of possessions. We are Medjed. We are unseen. We will eliminate evil." Ann was done on reading it. "…That's what it says." The reactions were bitter.

"What does that all mean!?" Sakamoto wouldn't stop yelling.

"They're saying that they'll target sympathizers of the Phantom Thieves." Makoto replied.

"Confiscation of possessions, hm…?" Yusuke was wondering the meaning of until Makoto explained him.

"Perhaps bank accounts or personal information… Either way, it won't be anything pleasant."

"Why the hell are we being singled out?" Sakamoto asked furiously.

"Because they hate competition, that's why…" I just made one of my comments because I couldn't stop hating so many contradictions about those guys.

"Perhaps all they care about is labeling the Phantom Thieves as crooks. That all this wouldn't have happened had the Phantom Thieves not existed." Makoto added.

"Oh, like that made them are anything better than us, huh?" I couldn't stop myself. "They want justice when they are treating us like the plague for helping innocents. They are threatening civilians because they are choosing the side that is not them. And I thought Kaneshiro was worst when it comes to being politically incorrect."

"That's complete bullshit." Sakamoto said.

"Talk about a troublesome organization that we've been targeted by…" Morgana commented.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" We tried it, Ann, but nothing could help us now.

"It's certain we can't do anything about on our own…" Of what Yusuke said, we fell on silent because we were out of options. Sakamoto noticed Akira's letter.

"Hey, so what's this letter about? We don't need any more trouble."

"It's rare for you to get something like this." Morgana noticed too.

While Akira was opening it, he noted that the envelope had no names or address. The worst was a red card inside it. I didn't like how things went.

"A calling card…?" Morgana didn't like it either.

"Anything else in there?" Ann asked if there was more information, there wasn't. "Who's this from anyway?"

"There's no stamp on it. Someone must've directly dropped in into the mailbox here…" Makoto took a closer look at it.

"Hold on just a second…Whoever sent this must already know about us. Could it be…?" I interrupted Makoto's comment.

"Could it have been Alibaba…?" Yusuke said it.

"That reminds me, he did mention something about preparing the 'necessary tool'…Don't tell me… Is this what he was talking about!?" We are pretty sure of it, Morgana

"What the hell's goin' on here…?"

Just like Morgana and Sakamoto said, things looked bad for us from now on.

"All we can do at the moment is wait for Alibaba's orders. Let's brace ourselves and stand by… in case anything comes up."

"I hope that's the case, Makoto. I will fear for the worst."

"Oh dear…" I know Ann, I know.

* * *

I couldn't believe that we are just hitting rock bottom with all this crap about hackers, cyberterrorists and being exposed. Things didn't make better on the next day when Alibaba contacted Akira again during school, he got another offer for us: We change Sakura Futaba's heart or we would be reported to the police. That was what Akira showed us on his phone.

"We're gonna get reported if we don't do this? What the hell…" Sakamoto was the first to speak about it.

"Sakura Futaba…?" Ann was lost in thought.

"Wasn't Sakura…?"

"It's Boss's family name!" Ann said it before Makoto could mention it.

"Yes, it is." I added, no that it helped though…

"Does he have any family?"

"Does he?"

Sadly, Akira didn't know even though Boss is his legal guardian.

"For reals!? How laid-back are you!?" Sakamoto was kind of down. "Wouldn't you normally be introduced at least? I mean, you ARE living at his place."

"Now now, no need to get mad at him, Sakamoto. I'm sure there is a reason why he doesn't know that. I mean, look at this way he is living in the attic of a coffee shop for an unknown reason." I tried to clarify because it was odd Akira doesn't much about Boss's home life.

"I guess that's one way to put it."

"Well, his situation does make things difficult…" Yusuke wasn't sure of it.

"The calling card was delivered to Boss's house; it'd be more natural to assume this is all related."

"The conundrum here is why." I asked Makoto as she continued explaining.

"Maybe one of the reasons for that is because Alibaba mentioned nothing about 'which' Sakura Futaba. Perhaps he thinks that the name alone is enough."

"That makes sense." Morgana added.

"I believe it's adequate for us to think that this is the doing of someone close by."

"I see." Ann spoke.

"I don't know how Alibaba got a hold of Akira-kun's smartphone information. However, since he's ordering us through chat, I do feel as though he's taunting us." Makoto had a long face expression.

"You mean, this might just be a prank?" I highly doubted, Sakamoto.

"I mean, look at his demands. Pay me if you don't want me to leak who really are-that I'd understand. But he's telling us to steal someone's heart without explaining why."

"So we're being tested?" Yusuke made a serious expression. Why testing us though?

"Regardless, I think we should ask Boss about Sakura Futaba once."

"That's probably for the best. There's nothing else we can do at the moment, and Chief might have an idea on what this is about too." Morgana added.

"I'll check the school's roster just in case." I was thinking of doing the same around town, Makoto.

"We must make sure Boss doesn't figure out who we are. We'll have to go about this cautiously." Just like Yusuke told us, we started to move along and find info about Sakura Futaba.

I spent the whole day looking for info. There was no one familiar with that name. I gave up and checked the messages to see if Akira got anything useful from Boss.

 **Ann:** Oh, I just remembered!

 **Ann:** Akira, were you able to ask Boss about Sakura Futaba?

 **Akira:** He didn't want to talk.

 **Katsuo:** Well, we are officially screwed.

 **Yusuke:** Could there be a reason as to why that was?

 **Makoto:** Hm, Alibaba might be our only defeating Medjed.

 **Makoto:** I wish we could get some info about Futaba out of Boss…

 **Ann:** But trying to force it out would probably have the opposite effect.

 **Yusuke:** To be honest, I owe a great deal to both Boss and Akira.

 **Yusuke:** I don't wish for this to be a source of discord between them.

 **Ryuji:** Yeah, I know just what you mean!

 **Katsuo:** So what can we do then?

 **Makoto:** It's probably best to wait for Boss to bring the subject himself.

Well, nothing we can do about it. Akira will gather information for the following day.

* * *

July 22th, just another day without anything important about Medjed or Sakura Futaba just yet. Makoto kept looking for school records, and the guys were busy with their regular routines. Ann asked me to see her at the Inokashira Koen Park because she wants to practice her acting skills. I saw some of her pictures on magazines but never thought she could do acting too. Akira usually helps her to gain confidence, but I thought she was already confident enough.

The park was always peaceful and beautiful for long walks, almost looked like the perfect place for us to get some picnic or maybe training. I kept walking until I found her already waiting for me. I never thought she would need my help with acting.

"Hey, Ann…"

"HELLO KATSUO. HOW ARE YOU DOING?" She yelled at me from an unknown reason. I just covered my ears.

"Aaaahg, slow down, why are you yelling?"

"Sorry, I looked an article that speaking louder helps to increase confidence."

"Yeah, and it helps me to become deaf in short time. Please, don't do that again." I responded with my usual tone.

"Sorry..."

"It's fine; at least you are trying to improve yourself. So, why you asked me to help you with acting again?"

"Makoto told me that you were in Drama Club once at Shujin, and Akira is busy right now to help me with that."

"How did she…? Never mind, but yes I took Drama on my last year, not that it was a good experience though…" It just brought me bitter memories of that hellhole.

"Sounds like you never liked."

"Well, blame Shujin because there is nothing but full of whiners and hypocrites. You already know why because of that 'you-know-who' I'm talking about."

"Yeah, I know…" Ann made a sad expression. "You know, I never saw you there during my first year now that I think about it."

"I never was the type of person that likes attention anyways, ironic huh? I took Drama but never on stage before." I was very private in my life. Why nobody ever dared to give me shit at that time? I still don't know.

"Weird… but you know? Maybe things wouldn't be that bad if we had the chance of being friends before. Ryuji, me, Makoto, and you, the school couldn't be so bad for us if we knew each other better at that time." Ann sounded calm.

"Why you say that?"

"Well, just made me think about how solitary we were each one of us. I mean, even if I got Shiho, there was no one else to watch each other's back."

"I understand that, maybe..." Thinking back then, it was pretty sad they were in the same school as me but never knew about them.

"Well, it doesn't matter now that we are working together… Oh, we forgot about the acting lessons!" Ann just remembered the reason we came here in the first place.

"Dammit, we got distracted with the talk. Ok what exactly you need to improve as an actress?"

"How do we start it?"

"Well, it depends what type of character you want to play in media. Do you have any ideas?"

"I always wanted to try as evil and sexy villain." No surprise though…

"Ok that's one, but flirty, sadist, or what exactly?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I meant. Nowadays, those kinds of characters, even villains tend to be more in-depth than just your basics. Take for example Hyper Featherman: Despite being the latest incarnation from a long-running show, it have a lot of characters layers, even the most clichés villains have something different with their traits and..." I had to explain a lot about how to act when it comes with a full emotional arrangement.

"That's a lot of information for a kid's show. I never thought about."

"Yes, but it's more than a simple 'kid's show.' It teaches you a lot of different things, sometimes."

"I guess so. In that case, I could watch some episodes to have a point of reference."

"I suggest you create your style because nobody wants a second version of the same character." That's the most I could tell her because I don't think things about theater would help her anyway.

"Thank you so much! I can't wait to watch it at home and try it." At least my explanation was help for her.

"Sure, if you have more questions don't be afraid to ask."

"Oh, I have another one."

"Yes?"

"What do you think about Makoto?"

"Wh-What!?" Okay, I didn't expect THAT kind of question. "I said a question RELATED TO ACTING!"

"It is because you almost fool me of noticing it."

"What are you implying?" I sincerely didn't like how that was going with that conversation.

"Nothing, just it looked odd to me the sudden change of behavior towards her during the fireworks festival: Complementing her without asking, offering the handkerchief and reacting the same way as hers towards Ryuji when he does something stupid. Not to mention how you worked together when we were at the Palace." Are you being serious, Ann?

"Look, I think you are getting the wrong idea."

"I'm not! Tell me, tell me. There something between you two?" She started to annoy me.

"You are jumping too many conclusions, okay? If you are saying I'm attracted to her, then you are mistaken because I don't care about her other than being part of the team."

"Daaaawww~, now you are too defensive. I never thought you would be a tsundere."

"I'm not…"

"Denying huh? That's classic tsundere behavior~."

"Yeah keep saying that and I will tell the others that you skipped classes because you wanted to buy three crepes."

"Wh-what!? How did you know that!?" She stopped when I mentioned that.

"I saw you while I was doing delivery work." In reality, I didn't but judging by her reaction, I was right. "Better be careful next time you want to do that again."

"Y-You are bluffing! That's part of the acting lessons, right?"

"I don't know, maybe or maybe not. I will leave it at your interpretation." I never thought that annoying someone like her could be that fun. "I won't tell anyone as long you don't bother me with that topic, ever again." If that's how it feels to tease someone than I should do it more often.

"Mhhh, deal!" She ultimately agreed without second thoughts.

We kept talking about possible methods and practice it. She showed me once that she was capable of using crocodile tears in no time. Well, at least that day was productive despite not getting any new information about that Futaba person or Alibaba.

Ann thought that Makoto and I were together? That's ridiculous, we barely put our differences behind, and we are not always agreed on most conversations. And I don't want Sae-san to arrest me or worse if she dates the son of a yakuza boss. What's with kids these days and crazy love?


	14. Happiness through Suffering

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

 **ReallyLazyReader: I was thinking on Rick Gomez because he was great as Zack Fair in Crisis Core, he deserves more attention as a voice actor. Katsuo's costume for P5: DSN could be his favorite Jean Vest from his regular winter outfit with some formal pants and a fedora. In the end, I don't think too much about it.**

* * *

"A woman was threatening Boss…?" Makoto was the first one to ask about what Akira saw at Leblanc last night.

"Yeah, she was going on about domestic abuse and taking the case to court and stuff…" Morgana explained to us about that issue. Makoto fell silent for a moment.

"What's up?" Sakamoto asked Makoto.

"It's nothing. So to summarize what you told us, Futaba is Boss's daughter, and he's abusing her? I don't know him very well… Is he really the kind of person who would do that?"

"There's no way." Akira responded firmly, he was lying that's for sure.

"Agreed, I don't know much about him either, but I doubt that Boss would be a horrible person, that's what my instinct says." I mean, I don't like to judge others without knowing them at first.

"I would like to believe so as well, but we don't have any conclusive evidence, do we…?" Makoto was right, trusting my perception wasn't enough until we could have 100% of positive results.

Just when she asked, Akira's phone started to ring.

"Is it Alibaba!?" Morgana asked Akira while checking his phone.

"Yes, I don't know what he wants now." He showed us his phone to see what Alibaba has to say.

 **Alibaba** : I've given you a calling card and told you the target's name. You should be ready for this.

 **Alibaba** : Why aren't you doing?

 **Alibaba** : I told you I'd help if you stole her heart. What seem to be hold up?

 **Alibaba** : I also said I'd report your identity to the police if you didn't help me.

 **Alibaba** : Are you OK with that? I'm serious here.

"What a selfish person." Yusuke commented.

"Well, he does have information on us…" Makoto added.

"Anyways, this Futaba he's talking about have a Palace? If so, we'll need keywords to get in." Sakamoto was right; we never checked in before, maybe because we refused to work for him in the first place. "Try messaging him about 'em."

 **Akira** : Tell me her keywords.

 **Alibaba** : Keywords?

 **Alibaba** : What are you talking about?

 **Alibaba** : Are you just saying random stuff to dodge the issue?

"Dammit, we are walking on thin ice right now." I commented as well, I didn't like our odds.

"What're we supposed to do about this?" Ann looked worried too.

"We'd be able to figure out Alibaba's identity if we could just meet him…" Morgana's idea wasn't so farfetched. We need to meet our 'client' if he wants our services after all. "Try asking him if there's any way we could meet up."

 **Akira** : I want to meet you.

 **Alibaba** : Meet? With me?

 **Alibaba** : That will be difficult.

 **Alibaba** : I have reasons for not being able to go out.

 **Alibaba** : That's why I'm contacting you like this.

"That was pretty smooth of you, eh Akira?" I made one of my sarcastic comments, it didn't help though…

"He can't go out?" Morgana commented.

 **Alibaba** : Wait, I get it.

 **Alibaba** : You steal people's hearts directly… That might make things difficult.

 **Alibaba** : Extremely difficult.

 **Alibaba** : Hold on.

 **Alibaba** : I'm thinking…

 **Alibaba** : OK. It's a shame, but I'm calling this deal off. Stop looking into Sakura Futaba.

What was going on? Alibaba started to hesitate for some reason.

 **Alibaba** : Forget this ever happened. I won't report you to the police either, don't worry.

 **Alibaba** : Sorry for taking your time. Now if you'll excuse me…

 **Akira** : Wait a second.

 **Alibaba** : I said the deal's off!

 **Alibaba** : We're never going to speak again. Don't expect me to contact you anymore either.

 **Akira** : We're not done here.

Error

Well, Akira can't reply to Alibaba anymore

"Ok…What the hell was all about?" That was the first thing I said after done with that chat.

"Huh…? Did he just shut the whole operation down?" Ann asked too with an even more confused expression.

"This doesn't make any sense… Not only can Alibaba not go out, but he won't let us meet Futaba either?" Morgana couldn't stop asking about this.

"Well, it's none of our business now. We can't contact him anymore." Sakamoto wasn't really worried about that.

"But… what do we do about Medjed? We won't be able to get Alibaba to help us with them now." Ann commented, still worried.

"Maybe they were just prankin' us." I doubt it, Sakamoto. "They made that huge declaration but they ain't done nothing since. I bet we got 'em freaked out."

"You mean they backed out because out because they're afraid we'll change their hearts?" Morgana was agreed with him, what a surprise to be honest.

"Yep. And now it'd just make 'em look lame if they came out and apologized!" He was really happy about it.

"Hmph. Cowards…" I added.

"But…" Makoto was trying to say something, but Sakamoto interrupted her before she could ever say anything.

"I guess with Alibaba and Medjed outta the picture, can we just say this case is closed?" After what Sakamoto said, everyone didn't say anything, just nodded to each other.

"…You do have a point. I guess it is safe for us to relax a little." Makoto said with assuring smile. It still worries me though…

"Oh yeah, remember Kaneshiro's Treasure? Prepare to have your minds blown!" Sakamoto was excited. "We got 150,000 yen out of it!"

We were surprised by hearing that quantity; it was almost unbelievable we got that much.

"That's awesome! We can really go all out with that kinda money!" Ann couldn't help herself with all that excitement.

"Yeah let's make up for what happened at the fireworks festival! We gotta go eat something fittin' for the Phantom Thieves' worldwide debut!" Sakamoto was l almost like a kid after winning a prize.

"Where would be good…?" Ann was lost in thought.

"Ooh, how 'bout sushi!? I could really go for some eel too!"

"I second it! Eel is the best just after squid and octopus." I never thought to be agreed with him, and eel is kind of my weakness for delicious food.

"The best method is to fill yourself on ginger before beginning to eat sushi. That is my master technique." If that means I can eat more eel than usual, I could listen to Yusuke's advice then.

"You don't need to do that this time. Actually, definitely don't do it, OK?" Makoto, you are always a killjoy.

"I'm all for sushi! You're OK with that too, right?" Morgana asked Akira while being excited.

"Sushi's fine." Akira agreed as well.

"Then it's decided."

"All right! We'll go tomorrow night!" After what Sakamoto said, there were no objections about going for sushi.

* * *

During the evening at my work, it couldn't stop thinking that all that scandal with Medjed and Alibaba was so suddenly over. It's is okay for us, but it still bothered me that everything was for nothing. That was until Makoto sent a message to everyone.

 **Makoto** : I wonder if all that Medjed business was just a prank.

 **Makoto** : Now that I think about it calmly, it's strange that they haven't actually done anything yet.

 **Makoto** : If their goal is to target the Phantom Thieves, they should want to be acting now, given our fame.

 **Ann** : Huh. When you put it that way, it kinda makes me wonder too.

 **Ann** : Especially after they taunted us theatrically like that.

 **Yusuke** : Yes. However, it would be best for us to come up with a countermeasure regardless.

 **Yusuke** : For now though, we should cautiously enjoy the sushi. That is all we can do.

 **Akira** : Something's not right…

 **Ryuji** : I was thinking that too! I can't really put it into words though.

 **Katsuo** : You too, huh? Yeah, I couldn't stop thinking about it either.

 **Makoto** : Hm, Yusuke is right.

 **Makoto** : I'm sorry for bringing this up. On the day before our celebration party too…

 **Ann** : Cheer up, Makoto! We'll be eating sushi like kings tomorrow!

 **Yusuke** : I hope one person in particular is on their best behavior. I'll refrain from saying who though.

 **Ryuji** : …You better not be talking about me!

 **Katsuo** : No comments…

With nothing else to do and just time to relax, I kept working as always. Lala-chan left me to go earlier because she wanted me to sleep earlier for my plans for tomorrow. What great boss I have.

* * *

The following day was Sunday 24th, I had the free day, and at least I could enjoy my sweet, sweet eel with the others at Ginza. I took the train from my apartment to the sushi place during the day because I didn't want to ride my bike with a full belly, everyone was already there waiting for me. Once inside, we took our seats with me far from everyone, Yusuke was just next to me though.

Once the sushi was on the table, everyone looked excited about how much sushi was for each one of us. I couldn't stop smiling at my eel.

"Man, the flounder is outta this world! That texture…" Sakamoto was talking while still enjoying his portion.

"I-I don't see any prices listed here…" Yusuke looked worried.

"It's called market price. Don't worry 'bout it; we got the cash!" The punk explained to Yusuke while his mouth was still stuffed, some manners man.

"Sooo goooooood…" Ann was enjoying her sushi, don't blame her.

"No talk, eat more…" I said it to the others while still focusing on my eel.

We couldn't stop ordering more sushi, was so great and addictive. Too bad Yusuke's technique was useless because I could try to get as much sushi I could get. That and because we were under budget.

"Hey, is the fatty tuna ready yet?" Morgana asked Akira while he was hiding inside Akira's bag.

"Hold your horses. And don't talk!" Sakamoto replied with an angry expression.

"By the way, Akira-kun… Is Boss really the kind of person who would abuse someone?" Makoto brought an interesting question.

"That again?" Sakamoto was exasperated.

"Is something bothering you, Makoto?" I asked her.

"I can't get it off my mind. Especially if it means he could be taken to court…" She was serious about it. "What kind of person is he? Do you truly believe he'd do such a thing?"

"He is pretty strict." Akira replied.

"…Oh, because of your record."

"She has a point. I don't think Boss is that bad as a person. That's what I want to think of…" I hope the mood wasn't getting sour.

"If it's really true about the abuse, he'd be a no-good jerk pretendin' to be a guardian."

"Maybe the chief is the one who needs a change of heart…" Sakamoto and Morgana were jumping to conclusions pretty fast.

"Hold on a sec! About that…" Ann interrupted them. "I actually got curious after our conversation… and checked his name in the Nav."

"Sounds to me like there wasn't a hit." Makoto commented

"Right. Anything beyond this is his family's problem. We probably shouldn't get any more involved."

"Nicely said, Annie." I was agreed with her, better to do not interfere with family issues. That's what I learned with mine anyways.

For a moment, Sakamoto started to think for a moment and came up with this.

"Wait… You think Alibaba could be Boss's ex-wife!?" Everyone looked confused about what he said. "He musta cheated on her, and that's where Futaba came from."

"Doubtful." Ann added.

"Your imagination has run rampant." Makoto added too.

"How foolish." Yusuke too.

"Sorry buddy, but I will give you extra points for creativity." I said too, Akira just nodded at him.

We kept eating our sushi, the octopus was a little raw but combined with the sauce made the difference.

"Still, this is delicious. I've never experienced anything quite like it before." Yusuke commented with a smile on his face.

"Tell me about it, I never ate sushi outside of my house, because of paranoiac parents and all…" I commented just a little more about myself.

"Why though…?" Akira asked me.

"You know the usual stuff: About being killed on public or something like that. Sometimes I thought they were exaggerating."

"Are you serious? Isn't that a problem with you now?" Ann looked surprised yet terrified.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure they are still exaggerating about it."

"I guess." Ann commented.

"But you know, I'm glad I met you all. I couldn't imagine what I will be doing right now if it wasn't for you guys." I smiled a little; at least things looked great for us.

"The same could be said for me." Yusuke added.

"Me too." Makoto said as well.

The place felt warm because of the company. Nothing could ruin this moment.

"Man, and it's all thanks to us bein' the Phantom Thieves…" And the moment was gone thanks to that idiot. Everyone was shocked and looked at him. The chef and customers turned their heads at us. "Crap."

"U-Ummm… Ph-Phan…" Makoto tried to solve this, but nothing came out to her mind until this. "Fantastic! This sushi is delicious!"

"So delicious that you almost want to steal it don't you think!?" I tried to follow her to drive away attention. I was getting anxious.

"Y-Yeah! The fish is so fresh!" Ann made a forced smile while playing along with Makoto and me.

"Hmph. Everywhere we go, we hear about theses Phantom Thieves." An arrogant woman said it, how annoying.

"What rubbish." The haughty man added. They kept minding their own business.

"Ann..." I asked her while looking at Sakamoto.

"Yes?"

"Could you be so kind and smack him hard in the head, please?"

"Sure thing." She did it without complaints.

"Owww… Hey! You don't have to do what he says…" He looked at Ann and me with an annoyed expression.

"But he asked me so politely. Still, think about where we are, Ryuji." She looked angry as well to him.

"Sorry, it just kinda slipped…" At least he apologized for what he said.

"You almost blow up our cover for the fourth time." I was whispering to him.

"Fourth time? When the other three times happened?"

"Makoto, me, Alibaba, do I need to say more…?" I raised an eyebrow while counting the incidents with my fingers.

"No…"

"Good boy." I kept eating my squid while everyone was silent for a moment.

"My apologies for bringing up Boss again. We should just enjoy the food." Makoto broke the silence.

"Please." I said it while everyone continued to enjoy that magnificent sushi. We talked about random stuff until it was already late for us. Akira asked the fatty tuna for Morgana as take-out. We walked to the station until I decided to go to the restroom. I asked them to wait for me for the moment. While done doing business in there and washing my hands, I looked myself in the mirror.

If you were expecting a narration about my physical appearance in front of the mirror, then you were wrong. I was starting to reflect once again about my life, and things began to look brighter for me at least. With Alibaba out of the way, Medjed not bothering me and the others made realize how lucky I was meeting them.

The only issue would be my friendship with Goro and them. I wasn't sure yet how to tell them about it. When the right time comes, it would be better to share it with them. I hoped they will still accept me, especially Akira and Makoto about that inconvenience.

I walked to find the others until I saw something terrible, Goro was with them.

I had to hide while they were still together talking, I didn't like how things were at the moment. I wasn't ready to tell them about it just yet. Despite their angry expression from everyone, Akira looked the most composed, like Goro wasn't a nuisance for him. That was odd…

"Well, this has been a valuable point of reference for me. I hope to see you all again." Goro said to everyone with his trademark smile. He kept walking until he was far enough from everyone and I could get back with them to ask of what happened.

"What was that about…?" Ann asked the others.

"Hey guys, what did I miss?" I was trying to act natural.

"Akechi was here a moment ago." Akira informed about it.

"Really? That's sounds bad." Playing so innocent, I think I just dodged the bullet.

"Do you think he's ascertained our true identities?" Yusuke added.

"Nah, couldn't be. Right?" Sakamoto sounded unsure about it.

"I'd like to say that it's simply us overthinking this, but…it may to be cautious from now on. We shouldn't forget that Alibaba was able to discover who we are."

"Agreed, Makoto. We should not risk ourselves as long as we are under the radar." I commented on what I could tell that Goro was suspecting about us.

"True, but it's not as though he had tangible evidence to prove that discovery. Just keep acting normally." Well said, Yusuke.

"More importantly, things are getting serious with Medjed!" Ann took out her phone, which sounded troublesome.

"Oh yeah! What'd they write!?" Sakamoto asked her.

"Here, I'll read it…" She started to redact Medjed's message. "We are disappointed in the people of Japan and their belief in the Phantom Thieves' false justice."

"This 'justice' crap again…?" I murmured.

"Keep listening…" Makoto shushed me.

"Hence, we shall proceed with our plan to cleanse Japan. This process will commence on August 21st. As a result, the Japanese economy shall suffer devastating damages." Ann got interrupted by Sakamoto.

"For real!?"

"Keep going." Makoto said.

"However, we are magnanimous. We will give the Phantom Thieves once final opportunity to repent. As proof of this repentance, we demand that they reveal their identities to the public. We will attack if these demands remain unmet. The future of Japan rests with the Phantom Thieves. We are Medjed. We are unseen. We will eliminate evil." Ann was done reading the message. "…That's what it says."

"Sounds bad…"

"I think the word 'bad' would be an understatement right now, Sakamoto." I added up while I was trying to keep my calm with so much anger inside of me.

"In other words, if we don't unmask ourselves, Medjed will attack Japan… correct?" That would be the case, Yusuke. "It seems they are quite the attention seekers…"

"What are we gonna do about this…?" Not sure either, Ann.

"If only we could get in contact with Alibaba." Makoto looked down while sounding worried.

"Our only clues… are Boss and Futaba." Sakamoto commented while scratching his head. "Anyways, it's too damn hot out here. Why don't we go to Leblanc? We can talk more over there."

* * *

Following his suggestion, we took the train to Yongen-Jaya and planned for our next move. I took it back what I said before; my fucking luck didn't change at all. We kept walking until we reached Leblanc and started thinking about it, we didn't have many options.

"So, what's our plan?" I was the first one to speak. I wasn't feeling sure of myself due to the situation.

"We went through all sortsa options on our way here, but… Looks like we got no choice but to ask for Alibaba's help." Sakamoto suggested to everyone. We couldn't think any other option anyways.

"Question is, how do we get in touch with him?"

"He cut off all contact with us after that misunderstanding. Then again, if we manage to steal Futaba's heart, he may attempt to reach out to us once more."

"That's one risk we might have to deal with right now." I replied to Yusuke's comment.

"But we don't have any clues on what her keywords are." Morgana was concerned with how little we had at the moment.

"Dammit, Alibaba! Where the hell is you!?" Sakamoto couldn't hold himself.

We were out of ideas until Makoto spoke.

"Actuallly, he may be closer than we think." She commented while Sakamoto and I replied with curiosity.

"Huh?"

"Say that again?"

"Hypothetically speaking, even if we stole Futaba's heart… How would Alibaba know that the deed has been done? Would he truly be able to discern that just from cell phone messages?" We were looking at each other because Makoto made an interesting question about the status of Alibaba.

"You mean he'd have to meet her in person?" Morgana asked her.

"Alibaba was able to deliver the calling card here. On top of that, he can check on Futaba's condition. However, according to the circumstances he put forth he's unable to meet with us. This leads me to believe that it would be bad for him if we were to see the two of them together." Makoto paused for a moment before delivering her conclusion. "It seems to me… Alibaba may in fact be Futaba herself."

Everyone was shocked by hearing that idea, plausible but far, even for Sakamoto's standards.

"For real!?"

"Just hold on for a second Makoto. You are conscious of what are you saying right? What are you saying is Alibaba wants to steal Futaba's heart? Which means…?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Which means she's asking that we steal her own heart…?" Yusuke finished off what I was to say, which it sounded like madness.

"Maybe she wants us to save her from the scars of her abuse…? That would be hard to ask directly." Ann was feeling sad about hearing what I think was painful.

"I'd like to meet with Boss… He lived nearby, right?" Makoto asked Akira.

"I know where he lives, but we may have a problem right now… He will suspect of coming to his home during these hours." It sounded troublesome of what Akira told us.

"I agree. It's real late though. What're we gonna tell Boss when we get there?" Sakamoto was concerned that we might get in trouble, which I don't want to cause.

"We'll say this take-out sushi is a gift for him." Makoto's excuse sound reasonable enough at least.

"But my fatty tuna…!" Morgana didn't like the idea though…

"No complaining." Ann added.

"Sorry, whiskers but this is more important…" I tried to make him feel better. I doubted it worked. "I will bring you some next time."

"Let's all go together. Boss may get the wrong idea if Akira-kun and I show up alone." After what Makoto said, we followed Akira around the area. Boss's home was literally around the corner of Leblanc. We tried to use doorbell but no response though…

"Nobody is answering." Makoto said while looking at the windows. "But the lights are on…"

"Think he's nappin'?" Sakamoto asked.

"Even Boss would've woken up with how many times we've rung this doorbell." Ann commented.

"I would think Futaba would have answered by now if she was here too." I doubted she would come to open to some stranger at home, Morgana.

Shortly after that, Yusuke pushed the gates.

"Ah, the gate is unlocked."

"Well, that's awfully convenient." I commented on it.

"Dude, you can't go openin' other people's stuff like that." Even Sakamoto knew that isn't right.

"But look. The door seems to be slightly open as well. I wonder why. That's rather careless…"

"Stop right there, Junior Detective. Where is your warranty?" I made one of my famous comments because from what I can see, it was a bad idea.

"Huh? What? I don't know what you are talking about." She replied in a more innocent tone.

"Don't play dumb with me. I must protest against invading someone else's property."

"We need to get inside we want answers."

"I don't care; even I know that is against the law. You want to deal with the cops?"

Everyone looked at me, but it seems that they made devilish smiles. I didn't like it at all.

"Whoa, it sounds like it's going to rain… We should get inside!" Morgana just played along with them.

"Grrr…"

"…Do you think that's OK?"

"Prolly…?"

"It's not…"

"My apologies, Boss!" Makoto at least had the decency to say that before committing a crime.

"If we get caught, I don't know any of you guys." I was getting so mad but it looks like I got no choices but to get inside of Boss's home.

That place was literally dark, almost like I couldn't see what was in front of us from the entrance to the hallway.

"Hello, sir?" No one replied to Makoto.

"Well, seems nobody is here. How about we come back later?" I suggested an alternative and less dangerous alternative, but everyone ignored it.

"What? Are you afraid of the dark?" The punk was trying to make fun of me.

"How old are you, 9? I'm more afraid of being arrested. How about that?"

"Be quiet, you two." Ann intervened between Sakamoto and me.

We started to hear thunders outside of the house; the hallway was almost coming from a horror movie, The Glowing.

"He's not out, is he? The door ahead is open, and I can hear the TV." Makoto asked everyone.

"I hope he didn't pass out or something… I mean, Boss is kind old, ain't he?"

"I don't think he is THAT old, Sakamoto."

"I'm a bit worried. Should we go in and check on him?" Ann was concerned about it.

"Please excuse us…" After what Makoto said, we walked into the dark hallways of the house. Everything went normal until we got a blackout inside. We heard someone screaming. "A scream!? What was that!?" Makoto was getting a little panicky.

"H-How should I know?" Morgana replied.

We heard a strange sound, but I could think of what was that exactly.

"Did you hear that?" Makoto was getting more anxious for each second.

"Let's get out of here, please? Can we just go?" Ann's voice was getting high pitched.

"Oh no, you guys dragged me into this, we should keep investigating." Why nobody listened to me when I do fair warning?

"What're you freakin' out for?" Sakamoto looked at Ann.

"I-I-I'm not freaking out!"

"Could it be Alibaba…? I mean, Futaba?" Morgana was feeling uneasy due to our surroundings.

We kept walking to investigate the house even further, but it was so goddamn dark that I almost tripped on some furniture. I wished I brought my lighter or something to see better in that place. Makoto and Akira were behind us until they stopped for some reason.

"N-No… My legs won't move…" She was grabbing from Akira's shirts while almost falling to the floor. That is until she looked behind Akira's back."Aaaaaaah" She freaked the hell out so much that Makoto was grabbing Akira's leg. I almost wanted to laugh because I never saw her panicking with something childish.

"Alibaba! Futaba!" Ann tried to call her, but she did respond. "Hey! C'mon, where are you!? You're a hacker, right? Just show yourself!"

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry! PleasesavemeSis…" Oh boy, I never knew that kind of side from Makoto.

"Are you Ok, Futaba!?" We heard Boss's voice coming from outside.

"Crap, he's home!"

"Everyone! Get in there quick!" I told everyone as much we moved faster, Akira and Makoto were left behind because Miss Perfect was scared the shit out of it.

We were fast enough to hide. Boss opened the door. "Who the hell are you!? Don't move!" We tried to do not move a single muscle. "You hear me!?" He got closer to the table until he grabbed and turned the flashlight. His face said all.

"I'msorryI'msorryI'mssoorrySis…Somebodypleasesaveme…"

"You…? What're you doing in my house?" Boss's reaction was priceless.

"Ah…" Makoto couldn't say a single word

"You're…" Boss looked at Makoto and Akira with a perplexed expression.

"Oh… G-Good…evening, sir…We…didn't mean…To intrude…" Pretty smooth, Makoto.

"Niijima-san! Wait, are you two dating?" Boss asked both of them; I wouldn't be surprised if they were dating though.

"W-We're j-just friends!" I'm sure that would convince him after of what he saw, Makoto.

"Friends nowadays get that close to each other…?"

"That's not it! This, um…Things happened…and …"

We decided to step in front of Boss before Makoto would complicate more things of what we could handle.

"You kids are here too…!?" He looked even more surprised.

"Um, we brought you some sushi, but nobody answered when we rang the bell… The door was unlocked." At least Ann came up with the excuse without issues. "We could hear the TV though, so we got worried you might have passed out or something…"

"The door was unlocked?"

"Yes." Ann looked so apologetic.

"…I do that sometimes. Guess I'm getting old."

"Um, excuse me. There's something we'd like to ask." Makoto finally regained her composure.

"Hm? You wanna ask me?" Boss looked curious on Makoto.

"There's someone else living here… isn't there?" The environment felt pretty heavy after she asked.

"Yeah… My daughter."

"Could she be Sakura Futaba…?"

"You told Niijima-san too!?" Boss was unpleased about that question.

"U-Um… is there any way we could meet with Futaba-san? I think we may have frightened her earlier, so we'd like to apologize if at all possible…"

"Be grateful she didn't have a heart attack or something." I interjected.

"Well…That's…"

"Is she sick?"

"No, it's not like that." Boss looked at us with an ashamed expression, but it wasn't to us. "I don't want you all getting the wrong idea… I shouldn't have kept this a secret from you. Let's talk at my shop. She'll hear us if we stay here."

* * *

We did like what Boss told us to do and following him to Leblanc so he could give us a good explanation. Once inside, we took places around him to listen to his version of the story. From here and on, things were thick for us.

"Now where do I start…? Futaba's mother and I knew each other long before Futaba was born. Her mother was a bit of a weird one, but we got along well for some reason… She was sharp-witted, somewhat stern, a little socially inept, but always carefree… She truly was a great woman."

"I see…" Makoto commented in a somber look.

"When something piqued her interest, that'd be all she focused on. She always worked deep into the night. I thought that'd change after her kid was born, but having Futaba didn't do much. Even with that, she always took good care of her."

"Working and watch over a child at the same time sounds rough…" It is rough, Ann, it is.

"I guess raising Futaba alone turned out to be tough on her in more ways than one…"

"What about the father?" Akira asked Boss.

"There wasn't a father."

"Do you mean…" Yusuke was about to ask something, maybe out context but concerned.

"Well, there probably was one. I didn't know him though. She never said a word about him, either. She was single when gave birth to Futaba, and single when she raised her. They were an ordinary, loving family. You could really tell how much she cared for Futaba. *sigh* But one day, she left… leaving Futaba behind."

"Did she die…?" Akira asked Boss once more, he just nodded at him.

"Yes. She committed suicide." Everyone were shocked, but I couldn't handle pretty well.

"Oh my…damn…shit…." I was stumbling between words, without a way to speak clearly because of that.

"Suicide…!?" Ann yelled.

"Threw herself into the street, right in front of Futaba's eyes…"

"Shocking doesn't begin to describe that…"

"That's gotta be devastating for a kid."

Makoto and Sakamoto commented with long faces. I kept quiet.

"So… Well, a lot happened after that, but I ended up taking custody of Futaba… First, she was so depressed she…she wouldn't even talk to me."

"Was that because she couldn't get over her mother's suicide…?" Ann asked.

"I kept talking to her though, and she started opening up to me little by little. That's when I found out… Futaba blames herself for her mother's death."

"What…!? But why!?" Ann asked Boss again, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It just was painful.

"That part she's never told me. I wanted to know what led her to believe that, but I decided not to rub salt in the wound. Then, a few months ago… She started getting real scared, even when nothing was happening. She'd say things like, 'I hear voices…' and, 'Mom is looking at me…'"

"Visual and auditory hallucinations…Have you taken Futaba to a doctor?" Yusuke added of what exactly was and asked.

"I wanted to, but she refused. Even when I had a doctor come, she locked herself away in her room. Since then, she's become what you'd call a shut-in. She won't take a single step outside the house, or even try to see other people."

"What about you?" Yusuke asked Boss.

"She doesn't even let me come in her room."

"That's pretty harsh…" I agreed, Sakamoto.

"Futaba is, well, a unique girl. She's so quick-minded that conversations with her tend to jump from one topic to the next… It seems like she's always coming to conclusions in her head. There's a lot I don't get about her…"

"Hmm…" Something bothered Makoto.

"So yeah… her situation is why I couldn't let Akira in my house."

"Don't worry about it." Akira replied to Boss.

"Thanks." Boss smiled. "What Futaba needs is a safe place where nobody will threaten her. Somewhere she can be at ease. That's why I won't do anything she doesn't want. I don't make her do anything she's unwilling to either. Then again, I know that's no way for her to live. It's all I can do though…"

Boss…

"What does Futaba want?" Akira asked him.

"I don't know. She just asks me for things that she wants, like food or these complicated books…Well, that's that. So can you just… leave her be?" Akira nodded at Boss. "I'm gonna head back then. You all had a better head home soon too." And just like that, Boss left Leblanc without a word.

After he left, I stood up and decided to walk to the entrance.

"Where are you going?" Makoto asked me.

"I will be outside for a moment… I need a moment alone..." I just kept walking until I was outside, leaving the others talking inside the coffee shop. I got so many things inside my head. I got nothing but pain, guilt and maybe anger towards life. She doesn't deserve that. She doesn't at all. This world was so rotten to the core. Why to Goro? Why to Souta? Why to Futaba? None of them deserve that kind of suffering and loss.


	15. The Pain of a Child

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

 **Guest: Thanks for the support, and yeah it was 150,000 yen, I already fixed that.**

* * *

"What are you doing here? I told you that I needed a moment alone…" I saw Akira coming outside of Leblanc.

"I needed to tell you that we cannot start the conversation without you." He was concerned.

"Yes, you can start without me." My back was still against a wall while looking to the alleyway.

"I noticed, you become quiet since Boss mentioned about Futaba's mom death. Is there something wrong?"

"Why do you care about it? It is none of your concern." My tone became a little hostile than usual.

"I can understand the feeling of losing a parent." Akira tried to talk more with me. "I can understand the same way as Futaba had to endure of that kind of situation. Why you so down? You didn't lose your parents."

"It's not me…" I spoke in a lower tone. "It's everyone…everyone I know had lost someone."

"What are you talking about?"

"Why everyone I know in this life had to suffer? It is not fair."

"Fair? I don't really understand what you are talking about. If something is bothering you, don't be afraid to tell Makoto or me."

"That's the thing, is something I can't tell neither of you."

"Why not? Is it really that bad of what you don't want to tell us about it?"

I was speaking too much, I couldn't tell about Goro without making things worse. I had to gather the courage to say to him.

"Do you remember Souta? My childhood friend, you met the other day?"

"Yes…"

"Well… we had another friend that was orphan since we were younger, and his life was a total wreck." I couldn't mention his name. "And after hearing about Futaba, it made me think that life is unfair for people around me. Why everyone had to deal with this kind of problems while I'm fucking useless? I never lost someone, but it pains me to see others like that."

"Katsuo…"

"Maybe I'm exaggerating but I met a woman that owns an orphanage with her fiancé, and they are trying to help other kids while I'm in the dark doing nothing. I really can't handle death and lost, even if it is from someone else's."

"I never knew that."

"Don't blame you; I don't like to share it with other people. It's almost like I'm a magnet for tragedies or something. An unlucky charm if I could describe it better."

"I know it's hard for you, but you can't blame yourself for anything that is happening around you. You are just making thing worse for yourself over nothing..."

"How can you be so calm about this kind of topic? Why you bother with me when I'm so pitiful?"

"…Because we are friends, and friends listen to each other. You show a lot of sympathy toward others, and that is sometimes I can envy you. You are better than that, hold yourself together, Katsuo." He sounded more straightforward instead of his docile behavior. "I'm sure that you are stronger than that. Don't let other people's problems affect you."

"I…" I couldn't say much until I analyzed what he told me, I finally understood. "Y-You're right. I shouldn't. Now I have the power to help anyone, thanks to you and the others." I stood up firmly like I was feeling indestructible thanks to Akira's words encouragement. "I don't know how you make people feel better with just talking, but that is something I should try it sometime."

"I'm sure you can handle anyone with just talking as well." Akira smiled.

"You are full us surprises, no wonder why you are our leader." I cracked a smile.

"No problem, I'm just a good listener."

"One hell of a listener I must say, but thanks."

Akira patted me on the back; I was feeling better now that there's someone I can count on my problems. Maybe telling him about Goro wouldn't be so bad after all the next time we talk. Shortly after done talking, Makoto was on the door calling us.

"Hey is everything alright?" She asked us.

"We are fine…" Akira replied to her while she got inside. "We shouldn't make the others wait."

"Agreed, let go back." We walked inside Leblanc while the others were still sitting in silence. We were at the center of the store while forming a circle.

"Are you okay, dude?" Sakamoto asked me in a concerned manner.

"I'm alright. Thanks for asking." I tried to make an ensured smile.

"I feel awful for prying into his personal affairs…" Makoto was the first to spoke about this awful topic.

"No way in hell he'd abusin' her." The punk added.

"The reason why Futaba wants her heart stolen must be related to what happened to her mother."

"That must be the case, Ann." I commented.

"So she'd like to discard her feelings of pain, but can't do anything about it herself." Yusuke added.

"Will changing her heart really help her though?" Ann wondered about it.

"If we can help her, we may be able to stand up to Medjed."

"We do need clues…" Akira replied to Yusuke.

"Hold on a sec. Do we even know if she has a Palace?"

"That's an interesting question, Sakamoto. Let's check it out." I told to everyone while Akira pulled out his phone.

" 'The Sakura Futaba that lives at Sakura Sojiro's house.' Is that gonna be enough?" Sakamoto spoke to the app.

" _Candidate found_." The app spoke. Much for our surprises, Futaba had indeed a Palace, odd…

"What the…?"

"The hell…?"

Yusuke and I were pretty much synchronized for that unexpected turn.

"She's got one…" Sakamoto commented while his eyes were wide-open.

"So someone can have a Palace even if they're not evil? Hey, Morgana…" Ann fell in silent because that cat wasn't there with us. "Where's Morgana?"

"I haven't seen him for some time." Yusuke added.

"So, ever since we went inside Boss's house?"

"Do you think he is still inside that house?" I asked like Makoto.

"…Some there 'round there. He'll be fine though. He's a cat, after all. The trains're gonna be shuttin' down for the night soon, so we should prolyl be headin' home." Sakamoto wasn't really worried about him, no surprise though.

"We have to go to school in the morning, after all." Makoto added.

"Ohhh, right. The urgent assembly." Ann looked annoyed.

"An assembly? What about?"

"Shujin has been garnering a lot of attention ever since Medjed called out the Phantom Thieves. So, they need to remind us not to say arbitrary stuff online and add more fuel to the fire."

"Tch, like hell they even care about the students anyways…" I didn't like what Ann said about the assembly.

"We've gotta meet up for every goddamn little thing. Talk about a pain in the ass." More than agree, Sakamoto.

"I mean, it is our fault." Ann added, not pleased though…

"Anyway, let's contact each other afterward." After what Makoto said, everyone nodded and decided to leave Leblanc.

Well, the thing became interesting with Futaba having, even she is more a victim in this case. So much pain for a girl…

* * *

It was Monday 25th; we went to Akira's attic at Leblanc after everyone was done with Shujin's assembly. Morgana was with us this time with new info that we could use. We accommodated the table to the center of the room and put some snacks.

"Man, that assembly had me bored to tears." Sakamoto was whining like always.

"Huh? Did you have school too, Yusuke?" Ann asked.

"I'm doing laundry, so these are the only clothes I had to wear."

"You really should buy a couple more outfits…"

"Come now, we didn't gather here to talk, now did we? Let's get to Alibaba's case." Makoto interrupted them while I commented.

"Yes, we should not waste any more time. Tell us what you got, Banderas."

"Well then, I'll start. It looks like Futaba was listening in on Leblanc." Morgana explained with a serious tone.

"But why would she want to listen on the café?"

"I have no idea." Morgana replied to Ann.

"It's just like Boss said…She's a tough nut to crack." Sakamoto commented.

"In any case, her hacking skills will be absolutely necessary if we wish to stand up Medjed." Makoto continued talking. "Going by what she has told us, we may even be able to identify who they are."

"We'll have to trust in her skills for now then." That seems the case, Yusuke.

"Anyway, we found out that Futaba has a Palace… but can someone who isn't evil have one?"

"That doesn't matter." Morgana replied to Ann's question. "A Palace is the materialization of distorted cognitions brought about by strong desires… That's all."

"Well, that explains SO much…" I said it with my sarcastic tone.

"It just so happens that a lot of warped people turn out evil."

"She's so young though… The pain she's gone through must because of her distortion." Makoto looked sad about, me too.

"Maybe that has something to do with why she calls herself Alibaba." Ann added.

"According to the chief's story, Futaba has auditory and visual hallucinations, right?"

"Most likely, Morgana." I replied.

"There's a chance those related to some important memories she's holding. It's hard to explain… but those memories may have been warped by the distortions."

"Basically we just gotta steal her Treasure, right?" Sakamoto asked.

"Well, yeah."

"So do we all agree about taking on Futaba's Palace?"

"She's asked us to do so. I don't think that part is an issue." Makoto interjected to Ann's proposal. "If we heal Futaba's heart, it will not only help Boss, but she can then assist us with Medjed."

"I agree." Yusuke added.

"I've been wonderin' about how Boss said 'a lot happened' after Futaba's mom died too." Sakamoto had something in his mind, but I couldn't tell what it was.

"Hold on a second…Our investigation of her Palace may not go like anything we've done to this point." Morgana interjected, it didn't sound good.

"Why's that?"

"Having and individual ask you to steal their heart is an extremely irregular case. There's no telling what the Palace ruler's disposition will be like, or the distortion that's be there. We may sun into unforeseen situations. Do you still want to go in?" I didn't like Morgana's explanation, but that wouldn't stop me anyways.

"Yeah, let's do it" Akira replied.

"Then I will do everything to help that poor girl, I promise." I said proudly

"All right. Let's make sure we're cautious."

"Well, let's get crackin' on those keywords, huh?" Sakamoto commented.

"The ones we have at the moment are 'Sakura Futaba' and 'Sakura Sojiro's house.' " Makoto added.

"We got the 'who' and the 'where' so all that's left is the 'what,' right?"

"Let us try going to their house first." Yusuke spoke.

"Boss is busy running the café, isn't he? We should make sure he doesn't suspect anything."

"Smart call, Annie." I said as everyone stood up and walked down stairs to go at Boss's house. Akira and Morgana were behind us talking. I decided not to interfere. We were outside of the house with already son inconveniences.

"The last keywords…" Makoto was lost in thought.

"She's a shut-in, so we just gotta figure out 'what' she thinks her house is. If she can' get out, maybe a prison?" Sakamoto suggested, but the app rejected it.

"Perhaps a labyrinth with an unknown exit?" Makoto's suggestion got rejected too.

"Hmm…Maybe an oasis?" It was a no-no for Ann too.

"Nothing so far. In that case, how about hell?" It rejected once more.

"This isn't a comedy, Yusuke." I commented.

"We don't have nearly enough clues…" Ann got exasperated like everyone else.

"If only we could ask her directly…"

"We can. C'mon, let's go see Futaba." Yusuke's idea wasn't so far-fetched for Sakamoto.

"But what will say to get in?" Makoto asked.

"Whaddya mean? We're sneakin' in."

"Again!? Are you being serious, Sakamoto?" I didn't like the idea.

"Dead serious."

"You have to be joking." Makoto was agreed with me at least. "Won't the door be looked for sure this time?"

"I'll take care of that. Oh, and I figured out where Futaba's room was when I snuck in last night." Morgana's investigation was worth it, but I still refused to get inside again.

"What if we run into Boss though? There's no way we'll be able to avoid his questions this time."

"He's at work now, so I think we should be fine." Ann didn't bother with what Makoto said.

"Can I stay outside in case he comes back here?" I volunteered myself.

"No."

"Getting' cold feet, you two? Don't worry, it'll be nothing. We've gone through loads of shit like this already." How can that punk smile in a situation like this?

"…This is our only choice, right?" Makoto just gave up.

"We have NO choice. *sigh*" I gave up as well.

"I suppose Futaba did get in contact with Akira-kun… Perhaps she'll at least be willing to speak with him…Very well. Let's do this." From the last thing Makoto said, we followed Akira and Morgana inside the house. It was pretty dark but not by much like last night. Morgana showed us the door where Futaba's room was, with signs of not enter all over it.

"This is Futaba's room." Morgana pointed to the door.

"Futaba-chan? You're in there, right?" Makoto tried to call her while knocking the door.

….

"There's no answer…" Morgana commented.

"Futaba-chan. Are you there?" Makoto tried once more, no response either.

"I'm sorry for being startled and screaming yesterday. It was so dark that I got scared." Not response.

"No reaction whatsoever."

"I noticed, Yusuke." Do I need to explain how I felt?

"This is gonna be hard…" Sakamoto commented.

"At this rate, if she doesn't respond I will have to pull off the Big Bad Wolf act into this door." My patience was running low.

"Don't do that…" Ann berated me.

"You're listening, right, Alibaba?" Makoto made contact, though Akira's phone at least. "Is it Alibaba?"

 **Alibaba** : Why are you here?

"Why's she only reaction to that name…?" Morgana asked.

"You're Sakura Futaba, aren't you?" Makoto tried to keep talking to the hacker.

"She's not responding again." Yusuke commented.

"Does she not like us saying her name?" Ann looked sad.

"We don't have time to dally around. We need her keyword before dealing with Alibaba's identity." Morgan tried to rush us.

"We want to learn more about you. If we don't do so, we can't steal your heart. The reason why we came here is because we need the keyword to enter your Palace. That's why we want to talk with Futaba Sakura herself, and not Alibaba." I hoped Makoto finally made her understand. "You don't have to show yourself. Just answer some questions for us. Chat messages are fine."

 **Alibaba** : OK

"All right then…" Makoto finally made it. "Our leader, the guy who lives in Leblanc's attic wants to speak with you. We're counting on you, Akira-kun. Try and get a keyword out of her."

 **Alibaba** : What do you want to hear?

 **Akira** : What's this house to you?

 **Alibaba** : A house is a house.

"It looks like you should ask something different." Makoto suggested a different approach for Akira.

 **Alibaba** : What do you want to hear?

 **Akira** : How is living in this house?

 **Alibaba** : It's painful…

 **Akira** : Why don't you go out?

 **Alibaba** : I can't leave this place.

 **Alibaba** : I'm going to die here.

"Wha-Die…?" Ann reacted by surprise.

"Poor girl…" I commented with painful expression in my face.

 **Alibaba** : Is this going to continue?

 **Akira** : Why do you think that?

 **Alibaba** : Why?

 **Alibaba** : This place is my tomb.

Akira was done with the conversation.

"Tomb?" Makoto looked surprised.

"You think that's it?" Sakamoto asked.

"Try entering 'tomb.' " As soon Morgana said, Akira tried to put the last keyword into the app, it was a hit.

" _Input accepted. Searching for a route to the destination_." The app spoke.

"We got it…!" Morgana said it gleefully.

 **Alibaba** : Was that enough?

"Yes. It was plenty." Makoto told her with a satisfactory smile. "You haven't forgotten your promise of helping us if we complete your request, right?"

 **Alibaba** : I haven't. We made a deal.

"Okay everyone, now we should go out and then…" Before I could say anything else, Sakamoto interrupted me.

"Well then, let's hurry up and go. Aaaand clicky." He just took Akira's phone and started to use the app.

"You idiot, don't activate it here!" Morgana and I tried to stop him. It was already too late.

Slowly we were transported into the Metaverse without noting the changes until the worst came to us. We got transported in the middle of a dessert.

* * *

"It's a desert…" Yusuke's reaction was…unamused.

"Yeah, we see that." That punk replied sarcastically. "Wait, what the…Our clothes are still the same?"

"Futaba herself is asking us to steal her heart. It'd be odd if she saw us as a threat. If she doesn't see us as an enemy, then your clothes don't change. That's how it works." Morgana kept explaining until he became mad at him. "But more importantly, I told you to be cautious! Why'd you activate it like that!?"

"Is that why we ended up in a desert? Where's the tomb? It's so damn hot here."

"YOU NUMBSKULL! LOOK WHAT YOU DID! NOW WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF FUCKING NOWHERE!" I was yelling at him because that was the stupidest thing he could ever do.

"Sorry sorry, geez…" He wasn't sincere with that apology.

"I think I'm getting a little dizzy right now..." I was not feeling well.

"Even though we entered right in front of her room, we didn't end up inside it." Ann commented.

"She must really want to keep people away from her." Makoto replied to her.

"I see…"

"What a bleak feeling this place has…It's the complete opposite of Kaneshiro's bank."

"Let's hurry up and get goin'. Where's the Palace?" Sakamoto looked pretty exhausted.

"Is it that way?" Morgana pointed to our left.

"Oh yeah, there's somethin' shiny."

"A tomb in the desert…I see. Anyway, let's make our way there." Makoto added.

"Isn't that kinda far?" Ann was looking at the distance between where we were standing and the tomb.

"Can we go before things become…? Oh, shit…."

"What's wrong Katsuo?" Makoto asked me.

"Ooooooooh crap…." I collapsed in mere seconds.

"Wh-What's going on with Katsuo!? He just fell!" Ann was looking worried. Everyone tried to get close to me and see what was wrong with me.

"Hey what's into him? Do you think he collapsed because he is not accustomed to the Metaverse yet?" Makoto was getting a little of panic due to my state. I was lying on the sand.

"What should we do…?" Sakamoto was behaving like that too.

"aaaaher…" My voice was really weak.

"What are you trying to say!?"

"waaaaaah….eeeeerrr…"

"Huh?"

"waaaaaateeeer…."

"Somebody give him water, now!" Akira ordered to everyone until Ann gave Makoto a bottle of mineral water. I started to drink it just small amount.

"Thank goodness, he was just getting dehydrated…." Makoto was feeling relief like everyone else.

"He just needed water? Man…." Sakamoto just made a long face.

"How are you feeling?" Makoto asked me while holding my head between her hands.

"I…hate…..Palaces….." That was the only thing I could say.

"Can we just go now?" Ann asked Morgana.

"Sure, let's go!" Morgana transformed into the Bus Form, the guys carried me and put me in the third row while they took the second row, Ann and Makoto were on the front. With no time to waste, we started traveling in the middle of the hot desert, and that was the worst experience I could ever get in my life.

* * *

Katsuo Rank 4

Skill: Maven Talk

It seems too fast developing the confidant too earlier, that is because the next rank won't happen for a while until the plot progresses further


	16. Walk Like an Egyptian

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

 **ReallyLazyReader: Yes, one of Katsuo's worst enemies: Hot Weather.**

* * *

"It's stuffy…" Ann was feeling weak due to the harsh environment.

"Yes, I know… But it still beats opening the windows to the hot desert air." Makoto was feeling the same. Ann sighed.

It was a complete nightmare, at least Kaneshiro's Palace was comfortable the first time I entered into the Metaverse. The desert was killing us as Morgana's AC didn't work and no one other than Ann brought water. I got the whole third row for myself because the heat was cooking me, and even with the open shirt wasn't enough to deal with that forsaken environment, too bad the girls couldn't do the same because those guys can be perverts. No denying I can be also but not at the same level as them.

"Hey, Ann. Can I have a drink? Didn't you have mineral water?" Makoto asked while she was on top of the steering wheel, tired.

"Katsuo and I drank it already…" Ann was trying to get some air because her school shirt was feeling tight due to the sweat.

I couldn't tell for how long we were traveling across the desert. it felt like an eternity. I fucking blamed Sakamoto for making us go to that shit. I would make him lift more weight the next we go to the gym. Two girls, four guys, and a cat-mobile was a bad combination for this kind of ecosystem because you know how those guys can behave when they see girls in wet clothes.

"How're the guys…?" Makoto asked Ann with a slightly weaker tone. The worst came for us.

As soon Ann turned her head to the guys, they were peeking at those two girls; Sakamoto looked like a goddamn monkey in the least subtle way possible. Ann was absolutely furious with them.

"Take this!" She accommodated her seat to beat those guys behind her. The whole vehicle was stumbling from left to right. The commotion not only broke one of the windows but also launched Sakamoto on my side which I got hit by him. Just when I thought I was relaxing for a moment and that happened.

"The hell…? Move aside you punk!" I was trying to move Sakamoto as he was invading my space.

"Mrooowgh! Knock it off!" Morgana was also a victim like due to those guys' shenanigans.

"Morons." Ann scoffed to them with an upset attitude. At least was better than dealing with Makoto or those guys would be screwed.

While the boys were in pain and Ann upset, Akira noted something shiny in front of us. We were getting closer to a pyramid with a town nearby. We finally reached our destination before I could die of dehydration again. Morgana returned to his default form while everywhere worn-out, trying to catch a breath.

"It's so hot…" Ann commented.

"The AC ain't workin' at all! The hell was that lukewarm air about!?" Sakamoto was complaining to Morgana.

"That was the best I could do, so quit your yapping!"

"For real, you are so half-assed!"

"What was that!? You wanna fight, punk!?"

"Geez, shut up! It's hot, so don't make me more irritated!" Good thing Ann intervened between those two because I was so weak to not even to yell or something, not even for a comment.

"To think her Palace would be a pyramid…"

"Be glad we didn't end up in space or something, Makoto." I just commented on being glad we didn't get a worse place.

After gaining so energy and stretching limbs, we looked at the pyramid, which kind of made me curious about that place because Egypt is an exotic touristic country.

"Hey, a pyramid's a tomb, right?" Sakamoto asked while we were still looking at it.

"Yes. It's a pharaoh's tomb." Yusuke replied.

"That's how it's mostly known. There are a variety of theories on it. For instance, it's even said to be a device for reviving the dead." Makoto explained a little bit about the significance of pyramids

"Reviving the dead, hm…" Yusuke commented.

"That's usually one of them; it also interprets a perfect balance between power, pride, and progress from oneself." I also shared a little bit of info about pyramids, so far I could tell.

"It's beautiful nonetheless… It's perfectly conformed to the golden ration…" Yusuke was smiling while trying to form a frame with his hands.

"Dammit, I wish my camera could work in the Metaverse." Taking pictures could have been nice anyway.

"Hey, guys, can we go in already? I'm gonna melt…" After what Sakamoto said, we decided to move towards the pyramid. "Ughhh… So frickin' hot…"

"I was the one who almost died, you know?" I replied to him.

"C' mon, let get inside…"

"Futaba's Palace… So this is how she thinks of that house." Makoto was certainly worried.

"Who knows what may await us within… What is your call, Joker? Shall we head inside?" Yusuke asked Akira about getting in or not. I wasn't sure of it yet.

"Let's go."

"OK. We'll find out more about Futaba's secrets in here, right?" Ann commented.

"Indeed. Well, let's head inside." Makoto and Akira started to push that huge door to get inside the pyramid. It was a pleasant surprise that it looked like the movies. Walking downs stairs, we felt the area more refreshing that I could expect it

"Oh glory me! This place now feels so much better." I was extending my arms while feeling the small breezes coming from that place.

"Whoa, it's so nice inside! Is this place air-conditioned or something!?" Sakamoto was feeling the same way.

"It may be because Futaba's room in reality has AC pumping through it. Either way, this is a relief…" Makoto commented. It was a good thing we don't have to deal with the heat anymore.

"Huh, our clothes still haven't changed even now. This has never happened to us before." Ann commented while looking at everyone's appearance

"It is refreshing that she doesn't see us as a threat… but we are completely surrounded by walls." Yusuke was right; our chances of conflict were pretty low.

"I guess this is a tomb… It's probably not made to be easy to get into. Anyway, let's explore." We were starting looking around as soon as Morgana was done talking.

On the middle of the room were a pit with sand and some pillars, we had to jump on them if we wanted to cross to the other side. Our movements were the same inside even we weren't wearing our outfits, which was convenient. On the other side, there was a long staircase.

"These stairs go pretty far." Ann commented.

"There're way too goddamn many…" Sakamoto complained.

"I rather chose the stairs than staying outside…" I added.

"Don't ask for too much. You should be happy we're not being attacked as we ascend." Morgana remarked about the area. His attitude became more excited from one moment to another. "More importantly, I can totally sense the Treasure ahead. We're getting pretty close now!"

"These stairs seem to be headed into the heart of the pyramid. I wonder if that's where the Treasure waits…" Makoto commented while I was curious if that was the case.

"Welp, time to keep climbin' the. Let's go" Sakamoto was right; we shouldn't waste any more time talking when we had the chance.

We began to climb the stairs. Akira was leading us while we were commenting about the area.

"Man, no enemies or nothin'? I'm all for shit like this."

"It seems too easy to be true." I replied to Sakamoto.

"Do you think it's because she's not a criminal?"

"She did welcome us in here, after all." Morgana replied to Ann.

"Don't let your guard down, guys. This is a pyramid, so there may still be traps." Makoto warned us. Well, I wasn't the only one thinking the same thing.

"So this is the mystique of a bygone era… The real thing surpasses any picture." Yusuke couldn't stop admiring the interior.

"I don't think you can call this the real thing…"

"Let him enjoy the moment because this place is going to disappear after we are done." Seriously, you don't have to be a killjoy with everyone, Makoto.

After a long walk, we almost reached the heart of the pyramid but we saw a little girl standing on our way.

"Hm? There's someone there!" Morgana commented while pointing at her.

We stopped for a moment to see who she was.

"Hey, is this…?" Sakamoto started talking.

"That's Futaba's Shadow. It isn't the real her." Morgana explained to us.

"Are you serious? She is so…tiny to be a teenager." I almost confused her for a little girl.

"Oh yeah, you've seen her face. True. This one's kinda dressed like a queen." Sakamoto commented.

"So you're Sakura Futaba…" Makoto was trying to make contact with the ruler.

"…" She didn't respond to us, just staring with those creepy yellow eyes.

"Hey, where's the Treasure." Sakamoto was getting closer to the ruler while asking.

"It's doubtful that you wouldn't know where it is." Makoto commented.

"Hey, say something." The punk was getting impatient about the ruler.

"Don't be like that!" Ann scolded him for his rudeness. "I'm sorry, Futaba-chan. It's okay, there no need to be scared." She tried to make a more subtle approach with the ruler. "So, can you tell us where your most treasured possession is?"

"This is going nowhere." Yusuke took the words right out of my mouth.

"Let's just leave her." Sakamoto suggested with an annoyed attitude.

"Will you guys shut up for a bit!?" Ann scolded them.

"Those who plunder my tomb. Why have you came?" The ruler finally spoke as her voice was being distorted.

"She talked… but…" Ann was surprised.

"What're you sayin'? You want us to steal it, right?" Sakamoto commented.

"If you believe you can steal it, then try as you might." I didn't like what the ruler said.

"That's rather defiant-sounding." Morgana was suspecting the same as me.

"Perhaps this is that 'tsundere' thing where someone is harsh or sweet depending on the mood." Yusuke comment's got me irritated.

"Dammit, Ann! Did you said anything to Yusuke!?" I was distraught with her because of the last time we talked.

"I didn't say anything, I swear." Ann was excusing her, at least she was honest from her tone of voice.

"What are you two talking about? Did something happen?" Makoto asked both me and Ann.

"Nothing important…" I replied.

"Considering the state that my Palace is in… There is no way that you can steal it."

"Oh shit…" I said to myself, that was pretty bad news from the ruler.

We started to hear voices coming from everywhere, things like 'creepy child' and 'plague.'

"What are these voices?" Yusuke commented while the voices became louder to the point that the ruler kneeled and covered her hears, she looked scared.

"Murderer…" Makoto repeated as one of the voices said that. The insults from those voices became harsher by each second.

"This is horrible…" Ann looked sad about it.

"Hey, the hell is this?" Sakamoto was pretty confused.

As the insults where loud, the ruler started to become transparent while floating in the air.

"… That's right. I did it."

"What…?" The punk was even more confused about what the ruler just said.

"I am the one who killed my mother."

There was a roar coming from outside of the pyramid, shaking the place with dirt falling to us.

"What was that!?" Ann commented while everyone was shocked.

"My mother exists here. I will remain here. I will do so until I die."

After she was done talking, she disappeared into the air. Our clothes changed into our thieves outfits. That was terrible news for us.

"Our clothes…!?" Queen was the first to spoke out it.

"She sees us as a threat now… What's going on!?"

"I don't know…but I fucking knew that was too easy to be true!" I was feeling pretty anxious as to how thing turned on us.

"Dammit! What the hell…?" Skull didn't like it

"This is bad…I'm having a hard time getting a grasp of our situation. We should regroup and…" Before Queen could say anything to us, the worst came to us. The whole place was getting more agitated, and everyone was getting panicky.

"What now!?" Panther got her eyes wide open.

The first bad thing that happened to us was a giant boulder blocking our path to the Treasure and it starting to roll towards us.

"Oh crap…! Bad, bad, bad! Ruuuuuuuuun!" Mona yelled at us while we were running for our lives.

I knew the Palace was awful news. We ran at full speed while going downstairs and being chased by that boulder. I just when I thought my luck changed for good and now that happened. We reached the center of the room but Mona almost fell into it, I grabbed him in time. We took cover while the boulder kept rolling until it destroyed some pillars and fell into the pit.

If it wasn't bad enough for us, a door started to block our path to the Treasure.

"We're safe… That was too close." Queen looked exhausted.

"No shit. We fell for a cliché trap and almost died. I hate Palaces!" I was getting angry about how everything went downhill.

"Now what!?" Panther asked the others.

"Even if we wanted to ask Futaba what's going on, it seems the door is shut. What should we do?"

"I think our best option is retreating for now." Mona suggested to everyone."This won't be as simple as we expected. Why don't we prepare a little, then come back?"

"My thought's exactly." Joker replied.

"Good, because I refuse to come back here without bringing water, sunscreen or a cool attitude..." I just wanted to get out of the Palace.

"Then let's retreat for now and return to the Palace another day." After Queen was done talking, Joker used the app to come back to the real world.

* * *

Once in reality, we decided to go at Leblanc and plan our next course of action, the TV was already on so we started to hear the news, it was about Medjed again.

" _The date that Medjed has set for the alleged cleanse is 8/21. That day is fast approaching. The Phantom Thieves, whom they singled out, have not made any notable actions at this time. Will Medjed carry put their cyberterroris?"_ The TV Reporter was done talking. We started to discuss it.

"In order to stop them, we need to help Sakura Futaba before the 21st. Our deadline is about two days prior, so the 19th." Makoto commented in a serious face.

"That's less than a month… That's a lot of time, but we need to solve this as soon as possible." I added.

"Meetin' up in Shibuya then comin' here's a pain, right? Let's make this place out hideout for a while."

"Convenient..." Akira replied.

"That's the smartest thing you could ever say, Sakamoto." I complimented him, Leblanc was perfect for us.

"Is everyone fine with this place being our next hideout then?" Makoto asked for everyone. We nodded in agreement.

"We must take care not to be discovered by Boss." Yusuke added.

"There's no telling what may happen inside that pyramid. We all need to be cautious so that place doesn't become our graveyard." I gulped for what Morgana warned us.

"Man, this is gonna be one crazy summer vacation." Sakamoto was smiling by excitement. "We're dealin' with international hackers and lookin' for a Treasure in a pyramid."

"How can you be enjoying this? This is a crisis of whether or not our group continues on, you know?" Ann and I were thinking the same about Sakamoto's reaction.

"I know that!" No, you don't, punk.

"That reminds me. While we were in the Mona car, you were staring at me with a dirty look, you perv."

"Shuddup! It was a great view! You guys were lookin' too, am I right!?"

"Indeed. The pyramid's golden ratio was truly a sight to behold." Yusuke commented with a smile.

"That's ain't what I'm talkin' about…"

"Don't include me punk, because I was dying on the back row." I commented.

"I wasn't staring, Lady Ann. I'm a gentleman, after all." Morgana was trying to excuse himself; we all knew the real reason though.

"It's not that you 'weren't,' but that you 'couldn't' since you were transformed, am I right?" Morgana shut himself of what Ann said.

"She got you there, whiskers." I commented that was a pretty clever response for Ann.

"Will we be all right like this…?" Makoto looked worried while she accommodated her hair.

After finally done talking, we took our separate ways and decided to rest because today was a horrible day for me. I got nothing but sweat and sand all over my clothes. I had to fill the bathtub to wash from any sand left on my body. It is weird that some sand was able to carry to reality.

* * *

I was finally relaxing in the bathtub while thinking about what happened on the day. What a wrong first impression I got from Futaba's Palace. That was going to be my first time going to a Palace with the others from beginning to end. I hoped stealing her heart would help her to recover from emotional wounds.

After done with washing myself, I checked the phone if there were any new messages. I got two, one from the group and the other from Lala-chan.

 **Ryuji** : Well that sucked.

 **Ann** : Is doing this really going to help us do something about Medjed?

 **Yusuke** : Do they truly intend to follow through on their threat? It'd be a shame if our efforts were a waste.

 **Alibaba** : Medjed will definitely make a move.

 **Ann** : Alibaba!

 **Katsuo** : Oh hi Alibaba! I never thought you were part of the chat to begin with.

 **Alibaba** : Keep your smart comments to yourself, Fujin-san.

 **Katsuo** : Well damn, you really made your homework about me. I won't say any smarter comments then.

 **Alibaba** : I'm checking in on your progress. How much longer will it take?

 **Makoto** : Your heart is more problematic than we had anticipated.

 **Ryuji** : Hey, Alibaba!

 **Ryuji** : Can you really do something about Medjed?

 **Alibaba** : Of course.

 **Yusuke** : Unfortunately, we have next to no evidence to support that.

 **Alibaba** : Your work will be rewarded. I promise.

 **Alibaba** : Besides… You have no other option, do you?

 **Makoto** : I suppose that's true…

 **Katsuo** : We never got ANY other option anyways.

 **Ryuji** : Can you do stuff like take down a server? Show us.

 **Makoto** : Hey! Don't start any trouble.

 **Katsuo** : Please, excuse that numbskull. He likes to talk too much without thinking first.

 **Ryuji** : Look who's talking!

 **Alibaba** : That's all it would take to convince you?

 **Alibaba** : All right. I ask that you take care of this quickly.

 **Alibaba** : Until then.

 **Ann** : Wait! Are you ditching us again?

 **Makoto** : This is troubling, but… we need to do what we can at the moment.

 **Yusuke** : I have concern for Futaba herself during all this.

 **Ryuji** : Man, why'd this have to be during summer vacation?

 **Ann** : We don't have any other choice.

 **Makoto** : Akira-kun. As always, we'll leave it to you to call us together.

 **Katsuo** : Just call the shots and I will jump right into it.

We were done talking. Alibaba would be watching our progress and things were just bad for us. It was Akira's choice of when we would start navigating the Palace.

I had to check the messages from Lala-chan and tell her that I was going to be busy that week.

 **Lala-chan** : Katsuo, my boy. You didn't come to work, did something happened?

 **Katsuo** : I got wrapped up with some other things, and most likely I'll be busy this week too.

 **Katsuo** : Sorry if I made you worried.

 **Lala-chan** : It is fine; I know that you can get busy sometimes.

 **Lala-chan** : Just don't overdo it, OK?

 **Katsuo** : Don't worry, it won't take that much. Say hi to Ohya-san for me, would you?

 **Lala-chan** : I will do, take care, my dear boy.

After talking to her, the only thing left for me was to sleep and see if we are going to Futaba's Palace the next day. Better bring a lot of water and sunscreen because that place is going to cause us so much trouble.

Oh boy…what a way to start the week, huh?


	17. A Samaritan's Work

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

 **ARSLOTHES: Thanks, I guess. Still working in some parts though.**

* * *

 **Akira** : Everyone, to the hideout now.

We saw our leader's message, and everyone gathered to Leblanc. We were sitting around the table on the attic while Morgana was over it. He started to comment on our situation.

"I'm honestly the time… Everywhere we looked was just desert."

"Oh yeah, all the other ones until now have just been normal cities outside of the distortion itself." Ann commented about previous Palaces, what a shame I got this one.

"Thanks to that, we didn't even know we were in a Palace our first time goin' into Kamoshida's." Sakamoto added.

"Now that you mentioned it when I got into Kaneshiro's by myself, the train station and Shibuya weren't different except for the ATM people around and the UFO Bank. It was weird seeing different from a familiar location." I commented to about my first-time experience into a Palace, at least was city and nothing else.

"That's still part of the Palace though. The city may not have been distorted, but it was cognition. The Palace rulers may have been criminals, but they were social enough to know the city layout. But Futaba probably doesn't… In fact, I'd bet she isn't even interested in the outside world."

"Hence why the whole thing is a bleak desert… Understandable, considering her lifestyle." Yusuke pointed out.

"Isolated from society, huh? I can relate to that…" I commented, she was an extreme case compared to myself that I only worked or talked with few people before joining.

"I doubt many famous criminals are shut-ins like her though." Ann commented about the difference between this one and previous targets. "Hopefully that means we won't have to go through all this desert business in the future."

"That might not necessarily be the case." Makoto interjected. "Many upper-class citizens travel by limo or place, so they don't know or care about city life…"

"Hmph, what a bunch of snobs…" I added.

"A plane…!? Damn, that sounds pretty good!" Sakamoto looked awfully pleasant. "I mean, wouldn't you wanna go to a Palace wayyy up above the clouds if you could?"

"Totally." Akira replied to him.

"I think a flying bank is quite enough, thanks…" Makoto didn't like the idea.

"Same…" I got enough trouble to deal with heights.

"I have to say though, the topic of the area outside the distortion is fascinating. Depending of the criminal, there may be an exact replica of Tokyo within their Palace." Yusuke started to smile about it. "I would love to examine the aesthetics of such a strange place at least once."

"You don't got a damn thing but art in that head of yours, huh?"

"Let him enjoy what he likes to do, Sakamoto, because at least he has ambition." I would say I kind of admired Yusuke's devotion to his talent, only wish he could get his priorities straight more often.

"But it's true that an observant criminal could have a true to reality city in their Palace… Although even if such a place did exist, it's not like we'd have any use for it." Morgana was done explaining, Akira told us we are not going to the Palace just yet.

"Huh? Why not? What is the reason you called us here then?" I asked our leader.

"We have some Mementos' requests."

"I told you to call me if it is for the Palace or something much important." I couldn't waste time on small fry criminals unless it is personal.

"It is important. Mona, do you mind to share the Intel?" Akira asked him about sharing the info from our targets.

"Sure thing, Joker." He got on the table and started to share the targets' names and reason. "Listen up; this Intel is on the couple related to Kawakami's former student. They are quite the foul pair of people."

"Wait a moment…Kawakami? Are you talking about Kawakami-sensei?" I got my eyes wide-open of knowing my former teacher was in trouble.

"Yes, seems you still remember her." Morgana commented to my reaction.

"Of course I do, she was one of the best teachers that I got during high school. Even though she likes to complain and all but she doesn't deserve to be treated like that. Tell more of that would you?"

"Sure, as I was saying, they are using the incident where that child died to try and extort money from Kawakami."

"What...? Threating her is bad enough by itself, but using a deceased child to do it… That's just too much. We have to do this." Ann was serious about helping her homeroom teacher.

"That's so fucking low for them; I will make them repent, that's for sure!" I was pretty fired up to helping someone I admired as a teacher.

"Mh-hm. I'll show off my skills in front of Lady Ann." Keep dreaming, whiskers. "There are still more. This is about that doctor in Yongen-Jaya, Takemi. She's in a real pinch right now. An old boss of hers, Oyamada, is trying to crush her clinic to save himself."

"This is the doctor in Yongen? Shit…" Sakamoto commented while doing an angry expression.

"Takemi…Isn't she the doctor that provided us that strong medicine for our infiltrations?" I asked them.

"The very same." Akira replied.

"Well then, we should repay her generosity by beating that old man that causes trouble to her." I wanted to at least help the person who provided with the medicine that saved our lives a couple of times.

"This guy is hiding some serious medical mistakes. It turns out he's quite the criminal." Morgana was done explaining about the target.

"All right, we gotta operate on that dude's rotten heart then!" Sakamoto shows determination to take this serious at least.

"OK, it looks like we're all ready to do this! We already told Mishima, so the forum post is up and running. No objections, right?" Everyone nodded to Morgana. "Mm…we're good to go if you're OK with it. That's a unanimous decision! OK, all that's left now is to take down the target in Mementos!" Morgana was done talking; I started to check the list of our targets:

Bad Medicine Rank C

A Teacher Maid to Suffer Rank C

Teacher Maid? What an odd name for an operation but seems that we were doing some cleaning after all. I saw past requests and they got a pretty good number of accomplishments. They were busy helping people, maybe helping them with one or two that aren't personal could help me to make Hannibal stronger.

* * *

We were preparing everything before going to that place they called Mementos, which would be the first time I could ever set foot on it. We took the trains because Mementos was being located in Shibuya down on the train stations. After some walking and taking an elevator, we were at the entrance, our clothes already changed.

"Man, it feels good to use this again after some time." I said it while admiring my outfit.

"Well, this is it, welcome to Mementos." Joker showed me everything around the entrance, it looked like train tunnels with warped railways. That place was far bizarre than any other Palace.

"This this is Mementos, huh? I'm not going to lie, the Palaces at least have some good taste on interiors, and this place looks nuts." I commented about everything around, and definitely, I didn't like it. "So, aside of the requests, what is the purpose of this place?"

"That's we are not sure yet, but Mona says that his memories lay on the depth of Mementos." Joker explained to me about what about the relation between Mona and Mementos.

"Is that true?"

"I'm not sure 100%, but I want to believe there must be answers." Mona replied to me. Well, at least he had a well defined goal.

"Whatever is the case, I'm sure we would get some other time. For now, why not let's start smashing some of those freaks and assholes?" I was getting ready both of my weapons. It's been a long time since the last time I used them.

"Easy there, Faust. We need to give you some time to get accustomed here. How about starting with fighting some random Shadows first and then we start with the requests?" Queen suggested me to take a smaller step before jumping into bigger action.

"Alright then, I was thinking on it anyways. Joker, could you lead me the way?" I was waiting for Joker's orders, he used the app to transport us into the last area of the first section, Aiyatsbus. Looking on my sides, I saw people entering on trains, but I couldn't tell why though.

We went to the first area of Chemdah, the second section, to start fighting some random Shadows. Queen was driving Mona on his Cat Bus form while we traveled around; I wished Mona could have a radio because Mementos was dull as hell. After finding a big one, Queen ramped into it, giving us the first strike.

The group was composed of 3 Girls of the Hanging Tree (Hua-Po) and 2 Night-Walking Warrior (Mokoi), they were pretty weak but at least good for target practice.

"Bring it on then!" I was getting into positions, on the front lines we got me, Joker (as always), Mona and Fox. I begin with the first move. "Hannibal!" I summoned my Persona while holding my mask; I used Maeiha on them doing some good damage. They were weaklings after all.

"My turn, come Zorro!" Mona used Magaru to defeat on those Mokois. He did Baton Pass with me so I could get more synchronized with them when we could need to exchange moves. I used Maeiha again, and it did more damage than before, killing everything with an ace.

"Well, that was pretty lame, to be honest." I commented as those Shadows died pretty easy.

"Those were low-level Shadows, even someone like Panther can defeat them without relying on magic on a single strike." Joker explained to me the difference of power.

"Why you say that? I'm sure she is more capable than me with fighting regardless of what she can do."

"Joker is not exaggerating." Panther interjected our talk. "As you can see, my Strength, Endurance, and Agility aren't pretty good. Magic and Luck, on the other hand, are pretty higher than everyone else."

"How can be so sure about that?" I was curious about how they could measure their own strengths.

"Because Joker can see our stats."

"Stats? This isn't a videogame, you know?"

"Actually Faust, we DO have stats, but Joker is the only one that can see them." Queen replied to my statement.

"Are you serious?" I was somewhat surprised that they weren't an exaggerating.

"Yes, and let me tell you that your stats are… rather unique at best." Joker made like a disdain face when he mentioned about my stats. I didn't like how it was going.

"OK, so how is my 'stats' good for?" I asked.

"Hannibal's stats are good with Strength and Luck; the other ones are average to lower."

"You gotta be kidding me… Strength is good but Luck? How Luck will help me in combat?" What I can tell at that moment, by not much.

"Well, it helps to land critical hits, make enemy's attacks to miss and status ailments to be more frequent. I mean, it is perfect when your skills have chances of succeed." Joker was done explaining about my capabilities, still not convinced though.

"Well, I guess so…." I was thinking about my skills, those were more chance-based attacks, which knowing my Luck inevitably it will backfire me in some near future.

Nonetheless, we kept practicing with weaker Shadows because our first target was on the next floor, minus well get accustomed to Hannibal's power. The Shadows from that area were nothing but small fry; they kept me bored the more we defeated them with only one or two strikes. I was hoping if the target at least could impose more of a challenge.

We moved to the next floor, I took the driver's seat and started driving Mona because I was the only one with a license, not even Makoto despite her Persona was a fricking motorcycle. Joker was telling me where to go while Mona could sense the target's presence. When we opened a door, there was a black hole thing on our way; Mona told us that the doctor was there.

With no more hold back, we entered into that portal, leading us where he was waiting.

Once in the area, we saw an old man standing on the center of the room looking at us with a pretty shitty grin, what disgrace for the world of medicine.

"So that's the Shadow of that doctor, Oyamada." Mona confirming about the target, it was him indeed.

"That bastard looks like he's been eatin' well lately." Skull commented, looking disappointed or something.

"Hm. He made a mistake in rushing a drug's development, and now intends for his subordinate to take the fall." Fox looked pretty serious; he was getting ready with his katana.

"People might die if we don't change his heart! And a good doctor will have to quit…" Panther was on fire, ready to make some punishment.

"Yeah. We gotta do something!" After what Skull said, we got pretty closer to the Shadow.

Taking a few steps and he was enjoying the moment.

"Fwahahaha! Everyone is trash…!" Oh god, here we go. "As head of the medical office, I'm superior to everyone! I deserve all your respect! You should be begging me to examine you! Be grateful I have the compassion to fix you trash!"

"Give it up!" Joker yelled at that asshole doctor. The Shadow wasn't pleased to see him.

"Ah, you're that kid who was at Takemi's. So how's she doing? She was sooo depressed when she heard her patient died. Oh, I'm so worried about her. Poor girl…Hehe…Hehehe…" He was doing a really sadistic smile. "Hahahahaha! It's been so long since I've felt so exhilarated! Did she quit being a doctor yet? If she hasn't, then tell her she better hurry it up!"

"You're the one who should quit." Nicely said, Joker.

"Wha-!? You dare talk to me, your superior, like that!?" He looked really upset about hearing someone defying him. "Grr…Your diagnosis is 'arrogance with no chance of recovery.' I better 'treat' you right away! And I'll blame your death on Takemi messing up again!" Done talking, the Shadow changed into a baboon while holding a book, that guy looked less intimidating than I could expect it. "Feel the power of medicine!"

"Daaaaw, look at that. Isn't that cute? He looks so pathetic." I was taunting him because of his form.

"Don't get too confident; we don't know what kind of power he has." Queen was trying to ruin my mood.

"It can't be that bad." I replied. Before I could notice he launched two energy balls to us, those were painful. "Gaaah! What the hell was that!? I never thought he would be that strong!"

"Megido, an Almighty spell." Joker told what kind of attack was.

"Megido? Like the one Madarame used against us?" Fox exclaimed with a surprised look.

"Yeah, but that was a cheap knock-off. This one is real!" Skull was feeling not so great about that attack.

"Is that so? Then allow me to give him a double dose of Vitamin 'Pain' on that ape!" I exclaimed while feeling angry of how stupid I looked for getting too cocky. "Rakunda!" I summoned Hannibal to decrease its defenses, giving us a better advantage.

"Persona!" Skull summoned Captain Kidd while thinking what attack should be useful. "Assault Dive!" Cap rushed towards the Shadows, hitting from the ship's back, doing moderate damage.

"Matador! Swift Strike!" Joker used his persona dealing four hits on it, a lot of damage.

"Sukukaja!" Fox gave a boost on speed to himself, just in case.

"Concentrate!" The Shadows was charging for an attack, too bad he is not going to live for the next.

"Terror Claw!" I landed the last hit, that guy didn't stand a chance from the beginning.

"Gaaaaah…! Vital signs… diminishing…" Just like that, he returned to his original form.

Well, that was too easy.

"*sob* How come…? How come I'm not good enough…? I want to save people's lives. And I want to do something great, and help make medical history. But I'm just a mediocre doctor. I've only gotten promoted because of my university connections." At least he was feeling some regrets. I didn't care though. "Takemi, though, was so creative. She had all these ideas, and her techniques were extraordinary…! Everything I ever wanted: fame, and prestige, she earned in just a few short years… I was jealous of her. That's why I tried to take all credit for her new drug…"

"You are an awful person." Joker commented, understandable.

"Ha…Haha… If only there were a medication that works on jealousy…" The Shadow fell silent for a moment. "Takemi's patient isn't dead." That surprised Joker of what he said. "I thought she wouldn't recover, so I moved her to the hospice wing for terminally ill patients. But that patient didn't believe my diagnosis. She ended up transferring to another hospital. Of course, transferring to another hospital makes our hospital and university look really bad. That's why I made everyone tell the same lie: the patient chose to leave the hospice, and then died."

Oh boy….Surely people are petty.

"She doesn't have much time left, but maybe Takemi could do something about it." And just like that, the Shadow returned to his real self, leaving a card as his Treasure. Desperate times required desperate actions, but that was pettiness of what he did.

Bad Medicine: Completed

"Impressive leadership… Well, what's next? Do you want to continue exploring?" Fox asked our leader for our next move.

"Yes, we should head for our next target." And so we moved on, but I felt disappointed for some reason.

"Hey, it's something wrong Faust?" Queen asked me, pretty curious about my reaction.

"I was expecting more of a fight, but he didn't get the chance to counter-attack." I couldn't tell much how I felt, not impressed that's for sure.

"That's true that was a difference on strength, but we are not here to fight Shadows. We are trying to help other people right now." Queen was trying to lecture me; sometimes I got annoyed when she does that.

"I know that... I only come here when the requests are only personal. But felt like an empty victory if you may ask." I even the targets on Mementos didn't impose much of a challenge.

We continue investigating around Mementos until we could find our next target: That couple who are threatening my old teacher, Kawakami-sensei. She was one of the teachers that I tolerated along with Inui-sensei. Usami and Ushimaru were the most they got on my nerves, and I thought Kamoshida was enough of a pain in the ass. Even she wasn't my homeroom teacher on any high school year; I still have my regards for at least being more tolerable and caring for any student.

The most I could be at least getting rigged of such pests for her.

We have been exploring for quite a while, the random enemies ran away from us because they knew we were stronger, good to know at least. Such bore some made us talk about random topics like what did on the day or so.

"I've been workin' on the railroad, all the live long day~" Skull started to sing that old song.

"I've been working on the railroad, just to pass the time away~" Mona was following the lyrics.

"Can't you hear the whistle blowing, rise up so early in the morn~" I joined on the singing, bringing old memories. Someone had to continue the song you know?

Exploring Mementos was still dull, nothing unusual happened, but at least the conversations kept my mind busy.

"Mhhh, with Ushimaru-sensei's chalk throwing, it really helps me to improve my reflexes against Shadows." Joker compared something between school and fighting.

"Is that old man still doing that? It looks like some things never change on that school." I replied, and Joker must be the new practice target since I left.

"I think today was the sale day at the supermarket near me!" Fox sounded awfully excited.

"You're a frugal shopper, I see. Impressive." Queen commented.

Driving the Mona Bus was a pretty weird experience; he wasn't my bike that's for sure.

"I'm still not used to this outfit… I mean, I don't want to be used to it!" Queen was complaining about her Metaverse outfit.

"Really? I'm quite comfortable with mine. Your outfit is pretty badass as well if I have to be honest." I replied, I'm not a fashion critic, but one has to admit that the designs are cool.

Despite fighting random Shadows, they were nothing; even some of them die instantly when Joker ramped into them.

"I'm getting tired. Anyone else wants a drink?" Panther asked while holding the cooler, pretty neat idea of hers.

"I could go for a particularly hot cup of tea." Fox suggested a hot drink when we only got cool ones.

"I smell coffee a lot these days. Is that coming from Joker?" Queen asked while everyone started to sniff, it was Joker indeed.

"Hey Joker! Where can I get that new fragrance for males? Hehehe…" I was feeling playful, but he didn't like that and smacked me in the head while I was driving.

After an hour of exploring, we reached the 7th floor of the area; Mona detected the targets' presence on that floor.

"Alright everyone, stay focused." Mona warned us. We took our weapons and ready to crash some nasty people.

Once inside the portal, we saw a couple standing there, smiling with so much hatred.

"Those Shadows must be the guardians of the student named Takase." Mona affirmed.

"Those two look pretty sure of themselves. Real smug lookin'." Skull commented with disdain to them.

"So they're blackmailing that teacher, Kawakami, by using that incident where their child died." Fox didn't like about the situation.

"But Kawakami-sensei did nothing wrong, right? We have to help her!" Don't worry Panther; that's why we were there in the first place.

"Are you ready? Let's go." We started to get closer after what Mona said, and they got on my nerves as soon as they started talking.

"Money, money, money! Hurry and pay us your money! It's your 'responsibility'!" Spoke the husband

"Clothes, handbags, makeup… There's too many things I want!" The wife followed with the sentence.

Good grief… and I thought Kaneshiro was bad enough when it comes to being a greedy whore.

"Hm? You're Kawakami's students…? Did you come to bring me money?" The husband noticed Joker, he wasn't happy though. "That incompetent teacher is so worthless! She should be grateful to be a source of income for me!"

"You're incompetent!" Joker yelled them off in a really pissed tone; I should be careful when to make him angry.

"Damn straight! Get your own fucking money, you lazy bums!" I followed him too, I hated them already.

"Shut up! Kawakami got in my way! I was going to use what happened to my son to get back at people!" They were getting angry. "I'm not gonna lose… I won't lose to elitists like you!" After the husband was done talking, the couple transformed into two fairies.

Oh boy, two by the price of one.

"I don't like your attitude!" Said the King Fairy

"Take them down!" The Queen Fairy added too.

Queen started the first strike, sending Mafrei to them, the King Fairy resisted, but the other one didn't.

"Maragi!" Panther summoned Carmen, incinerating those two assholes; Queen Fairy was weak to fire. She used Baton Pass on Joker, getting a boost for the next attack.

"Neko Shogun!" Joker summoned a cat in samurai armor; casting Psio to the King Fairy and knocking him down, both Shadows were kissing the floor. "Do you want to do the honors, Faust?" Joker asked me to deal the final blow.

"It would be my pleasure." Joker gave me the Baton Pass while I made a slasher smile. I was feeling even stronger. "Eat lead, suckers!" I pulled out my gun and started to empty the full clip, doing massive damage but not enough to defeat them.

"One more huh? Shiisa!" Joker changed for different Persona, he used Double Fang on the King Fairy, defeating him.

"My turn, Agilao!" Panther once more exploited the Queen Fairy's weakness, knocked her down."Queen, Baton Pass!" The girls exchanged places, making Queen even stronger.

"Feel my rage!" She used Freila on the remaining Shadow, finishing them once and for all.

"Y-You bastards…"

"They…took us down…"

They screamed in agony, despite not posing much of a challenge I enjoyed hearing their suffering.

"You're looking down on me, too? Deep down inside, you're laughing at me, aren't you…?" I stopped smiling after hearing what the husband said.

"Names brands… Esthetic appointments… Without them, people will laugh…" The wife was feeling ashamed of herself due to their status, I felt pretty bad for mocking them

"What are you talking about?" Joker asked them, I just decided to turn my back and not look at them out of shame on myself.

"We're terrible human beings. Our son, Taiki, and his real parents were different… His parents were both high-level elites at big-name corporations. Always looking at us coldly… That's why I let our son experience what it's like to be forced to grovel!"

"It felt nice to see gradually break down from working so much…"

"You are terrible human beings." Joker scolded them.

"I guess this is why everyone's looked down on us… I'm not sure now if his birth parents looked down on us…"

"I was happy as long as I was with Toshio, but I forgot all about it. I became obsessed with money…"

"Taiki really was a good kid…" Just like that, they returned to their real selves, leaving a whip as their Treasure. They were inexcusably evil yet poor. Is this what greed can drove people to act so horrible to others? So sorry, Souta…for making fun of them…

A Teacher Maid in Suffering: Completed

"That went well! What should we do now? Keep exploring?" Ann asked Joker with a satisfactory smile, me not so much.

"Let's go back to the entrance." Joker replied, and we moved to the main entrance of Mementos.

"Hey Queen, could you drive Mona? I don't feel good right now…"

"Sure, let's go back." She reluctantly accepted to be in charge of the steering wheel, but she looked at me with a weird expression.

"Hey man, are you okay?" Skull asked me in a worried tone.

"Yeah, I'm fine…maybe I'm just tired…thanks for asking Skull." I tried to make a more cheerful expression; I hoped no one noticed how I was feeling.

We returned to the main entrance. I was quiet during the whole trip. We accomplished so much, but I couldn't tell much if it was worth it or not.

* * *

We returned to the real world after fighting all day. It made me think that maybe I should do some initiative of doing things with others more often. So I did something I never thought I would do in my life.

"Hey, Sakamoto." I tried to start a conversation with him. "Do you want to eat some ramen on the way home? I heard there is a special in Ogikubo." That was the best excuse I could ever have.

"Sure, I'm all for it Big Bro." He sounded so excited, and I still didn't like to be called like that.

"I…I will let that slide this time. Hey guys, want to come with us too?" I tried to ask everyone else, but they looked tired.

"Sorry, I need to rest for tomorrow." Makoto replied.

"I will be busy later, maybe some other time." Akira rejected the invitation too but was understandable.

"Sorry guys, I really need to take a shower right now after all this fighting." Ann wasn't so reluctant about that idea.

"I can go with you; ramen sounds like a delightful idea for evenings." Yusuke at least accepted the invitation.

After saying goodbye to the others while Sakamoto and Yusuke followed me on the train station to eat some tasty ramen. I wanted to change my routine at least once in a while when I can get the chance to know them better. I had questions for those two that I never got the time to ask.


	18. Extra: Best Wishes for Her

**A special chapter to celebrate Makoto's Birthday. This chapter takes a year after the events of Persona 5. So pretty much already jumped the gun here.**

 **Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

"Man, I never thought college would become so dull." That was the only think I got in my head while getting some fuel for my bike. "I hoped to not miss the Featherman VS Bugcatchers new episode." I was checking my phone to see if anything important I could have on it. 2018 April 23…Something seems important but I couldn't recall what it was because I got so many things in my to-do list on that date.

"Let's see… Rent, essay about Freedom of Speech, Makoto's birthday…FUCKING HELL!" I just forgot my girlfriend's birthday. I was so fucking stupid that I didn't even call her, so I started to call her, hopefully not getting mad or something. Good thing I got that on the calendar as a reminder but still forgot to make plans or get her a present ready, goddammit I'm the worst boyfriend.

"Come on, pick it up…" I was getting anxious of how she would respond for not congratulating her earlier. She finally answered the phone.

" _Hello, Katsuo?"_ Makoto answered, doesn't sound so happy.

"Happy Birthday!" I just said that awkwardly, hoping the worst had to come.

" _Thank you so much! Honestly, I almost forgot about it though…"_ She did?

"Really why? I thought I was the one who keeps forgetting one's own birthday." I just dodged the bullet.

 _"Because I got so busy studying for my training on the police academy."_ She sounded embarrassed through the phone.

"It's alright, I understand that being busy. Anyways, are you free for today? We can go to celebrate it."

" _We can go to Leblanc and…"_

"Actually…" I interrupted her so abruptly. "I was thinking on take you somewhere more special."

" _Are you sure, I don't want you to spend too much since you had to repair your bike last month."_ Makoto was being modest, but I don't like to make things so half-assed for her.

"No worries, I still got some to spare. I will pick you up later at night alright?" I insisted.

 _"Ok, I have to go; I will see you at 8 pm."_

"I love you."

" _Me too, drive safe."_ Makoto and I hung up our phones. Oh boy this is a nightmare, I didn't have a special place yet to go and eat. I had to check all possible places that would accept reservations on the same day, none of them were available. "Well…I'm doomed." I had to call Akira for some help, since he was the ladies expert. Each second I wasted of not having a good place, the deeper I was digging my own grave. I dialed to his phone, hoping he wasn't busy with someone else.

"Hey, Akira?" I spoke first.

" _Hi Katsuo, I'm surprised that you called me instead of sending a message."_ His sounded curious due to his tone of voice.

"Yeah yeah, listen I need your help!"

" _Let me guess, you forgot it was Makoto's Birthday and you don't have plans about it."_ Akira was really perceptive, as always.

"I'm not going to ask you to plan everything just, need some suggestions as you always can pull off with the women." I was losing my mind, as I couldn't get a nice place for her.

" _Give me a moment."_ Akira just ended the conversation out of the blue. That didn't looked good as he didn't even told me what I could do. That is until I got a message from group chat.

 **Akira:** Everyone to Leblanc now.

 **Ryuji:** What's the matter?

 **Akira:** It is an emergency of class S.

 **Futaba:** Katsuo forgot Makoto's birthday huh?

 **Katsuo:** Goddamit!

 **Ann:** Wow, I thought you were better than that.

 **Yusuke:** That is rather careless of you.

 **Haru:** I'm so sorry to hear about your problem.

 **Katsuo:** Yeah I'm the worst, but I didn't want to ask everyone, Akira.

 **Akira:** Everyone can come up with a better plan than just me.

 **Katsuo:** I don't want to be a bother with my personal problems.

 **Ryuji:** It is not a problem; remember you can count on us with everything.

 **Katsuo:** That is what I'm afraid of.

 **Ann:** In any case, I would be at Leblanc in not time.

 **Yusuke:** Same

 **Haru:** Don't worry; I will think something special for you and Mako-chan.

 **Katsuo:** I hate you, Kurusu!

Well, things turned out from bad to worse. I had to ride on a reasonably high-speed to get at Leblanc and talk with about this. Good thing Makoto gets really busy with her studies, because she wouldn't be able to hang out with anyone during those hours.

* * *

Once inside sitting at the coffee shop, I saw Akira and Boss on the counter and Futaba just sitting while using her laptop for homework. My legs were shaking by waiting the rest to come. So far they came one the following order: Ann, Yusuke, Haru, and Ryuji. With everyone inside, Boss stepped outside to let us plan everything. Why I didn't ask Boss first instead on letting Akira tell to everyone my personal problems?

"Alright, let's start with Operation: Dumb Yakuza Son Forgets His Girl's Birthday!" Futaba was the one speaking with a rather long title.

"The hell? That is a too damn long name for an operation!"

"No complains, Katsuo. You should be grateful that we decided to help you." Ann replied in serious tone.

"I didn't ask for your help you know?"

"That doesn't matter now that we are here. First, we need to find a place special for her." Morgana got bossy mode, it's been a long time he acted that way since the Metaverse was gone for good.

"Hey, didn't you and Makoto go to a fancy restaurant once?" Ryuji asked me.

"Yeah, but I wanted somewhere different. They didn't accepted last-minute reservations though."

"Then how about a surprise party at Leblanc?" Ann suggested, but that wasn't good.

"I told her not to go here, because I wanted something more special." I just complicated things.

"It seems that you got us out of options, Katsuo."

"I know, Yusuke. That is way I just wanted to ask Akira and no one else. I just need ideas for a good place."

"There is so many ways, so little time to make it work. I'm sure she will understand it if you can't today." Ann's suggestion made me losing my head.

"I can't give up now when I already promised her something good. This is so bad that there is not an ideal place for dinner, minus well we could eat on the wild and hopefully being killed by animals." I said it in my best sarcastic tone, as I was a lost cause.

"Wait a second, say that again." Something caught Ann's attention.

"Huh? About what? The part hopefully being killed by animals?"

"Not that! The other thing before it!"

"The thing I said before….? Are you kidding me right!?" I just realized what was about her idea.

"What is it, Ann-chan?" Haru asked, as she didn't get it at all what was with Blondie's idea.

"We can take them to eat on the outdoors, under the stars!" Ann really got excited about it, me not by much.

"Oh sure, we can go eat while having some fresh air. There's no place we can do that!"

"I can see it, but do you think is a good idea taking them to the park?" Ryuji asked her, I was just getting more anxious.

"Of course, as long we don't cause much trouble we can accommodate everything there. The only thing we would need is a table, two chairs, candles, blankets, music and…" Ann couldn't stop talking about that plan.

"Slow down! I'm not even sure if we can get all that in just 5 hours!"

"Mhhh, I can take care of that."

"What?" I replied with surprise about Haru's comment.

"I said I can ask some people about a permit to use the park for an event and staff for the tables and chairs." Well, that is pretty hand of her.

"Woah, nice! Then I suppose that leave us with the presents for her." Ryuji sounded so eager, as he was looking at me. "So, what you have in mind for her, Big Bro?"

"I…I know what I could give her, but not sure if is good enough." I wanted to remain silent about the present, which just made everyone curious.

"Oh so you already got something. Tell me what it is." Futaba asked me.

"I… rather not."

"Huh? Why not?"

"I want to keep it as secret."

"Oh come on, you can tell us." Futaba just kept pestering me.

"I said no dammit!"

"Oh you don't want to tell us? Fine I will look at your research history~" I saw that devilish grind of hers.

"Don't you dare, you gremlin…"

"Whoops, too late. Nyehehehehe." She was looking on her laptop. Her eyes got wide open once she was done. "Awwwww, you really have a heart."

"What is it, Futaba-chan?" Haru asked to that annoying gremlin.

"Something that really shows how much Katsuo loves Makoto."

"Let me see it!" Ann rushed towards Futaba's laptop; everyone looked and did a sinister smile at me.

"Awwwwwww~" Haru and Ann expressed with so much delight about it.

"So, it is…"

"Don't say it, Yusuke." I interjected, not letting anyone to say it.

"Yep, definitely is…"

"Shut up you punk!"

"You really are considered to give her a…"

"I dare you to say it, Akira. I fucking dare you!"

"It is Huge Buchimaru Plush!" Ann yelled with so much excitement.

"Graaaaaah!" I screamed while lowering my head to the table, I covered myself with the arms by embarrassment. I wanted to die.

"That is so cool idea, Katsuo-kun." Haru commented about the present.

"Yep, and seems he already ordered it." Futaba showed my shopping history to everyone, I really wanted to be death. Could it be too late to ask Doctor Takemi to give me some of her experimental drugs?

"I thought you forgot Makoto's birthday? It looks like you already got a present for her." Yusuke commented.

"I did, but that damn thing wasn't delivered yet."

"Well, we should start working everything right for now until 8 pm. Alright everyone let's move on!" Morgana told what to do to everyone: Haru made some calls to the people about reserving the park, Ann and Futaba checked for a cake and some presents, Yusuke left to get his art supplies. Akira and Ryuji decided to prepare everything like decorations and some lights while Morgana told me to return home and get dressed for the occasion. I never thought that even when I was no longer a Phantom Thief, we are still looking for each other's backs. Truly glad (most of the time) I got them as my friends, even when they really get on my nerves.

* * *

I obeyed that cat's orders and returned home to get ready for the big night. I sent a message to Makoto to get semi-formal as well. The good news was the present was coming today; the bad news was until 11 pm. "There's nothing to worry about it" I said to myself while doing some breathing exercises. "Everyone is doing their best, she would love it. Would she?" I was getting completely nervous as I'm doing everything on the last moment. I took a nice shirt, some clean shoes and pants, and finally shave a little to look presentable. I did everything while waiting for both Makoto and everyone's call.

I tried to slap myself on the face to relax several times, my cheeks started to fell numb. I finally got a message, but it from Makoto's.

 **Makoto:** I'm finally at home; give me some time before being ready to go out.

 **Katsuo:** Take your time, there's no rush.

There was it for me though.

 **Katsuo:** I'll be at your place in 30 minutes.

 **Makoto:** Alright, see you there.

Oh boy, the others weren't done yet with everything else. So the most I could do was to go and keep her busy until then. I left my department and rode my bike to Shibuya to buy some flowers. I didn't want to arrive at her home empty-handed. I asked for suggestion of which one are good for birthdays. The most I got were white, yellow and blue flowers, I had no idea what kind of flowers were.

Once I got to her apartment, Sae-san was already at home. Not the best time to be there.

"Good evening, Sae-san." I greeted formally, but I was getting out of breath.

"Fujin-san." Her tone was rather cold, so far I could tell. "You came to take Makoto out, isn't it?"

"Yes ma'am, I will take her somewhere nice to dinner for birthday." I tried to keep my composure as much I could. Even though she already knew about our relationship, I was still afraid of being arrested or something despite she was working as a defense attorney.

"I see… I hope nothing shady to my little sister."

"No ma'am…"

"*Snicker* Relax, I'm sorry if I was intimating you, just I always wanted to give a good scare to Makoto's first boyfriend." Sae-san was smiling, completely enjoying about my suffering.

"Well, you did it pretty well. I almost fainted…" I did a weak laugh, trying to at least light the mood. Good grief, I can be a scary man with everyone else, but I'm afraid of my girlfriend's big sister.

"I'm ready." Makoto came from the hallway, she looked fantastic with a black dress and a white shoes.

"Alright...oh I almost forgot to give you this." I gave her the bouquet of flowers.

"Thank you, those are beautiful." She looked pleased about the flowers. She gave the flowers to Sae-san since we can't take them on my bike.

"Well, I think it is time to go." I said while opening the door.

"Don't forget to bring her before 11 pm." Sae-san returned to her serious overprotective sister mode.

"Sis, I'm 20 now!" I can imagine she was as much embarrassed as I was. "Let's go, Katsuo."

"Well, have a nice night you two." She gave us the farewells while smiling.

"I hoped she didn't scare you." Makoto commented when we were about to ride my bike.

"Don't worry, she wasn't scary at all." I kept saying that to myself. "I hope you like the place."

She was sitting behind me while I rode to the park, good thing there wasn't much traffic because I couldn't let anything to ruin this day for her. Makoto found it odd when we arrived at the park.

"What are we doing here?" She asked with a strange expression.

"I was thinking to make a walk before getting dinner." I replied in a convincing tone.

"Ok…?" We began walking around, I was checking my phone if they were done with everything. Akira only sent me the exact place where they were at. I took her to the planned location and she saw some light on the distance. We got closer until her eyes became lively and brighter by everything around.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAKOTO!" Everyone yelled, much to Makoto's joy by looking at everyone there.

"Guys, I wasn't expecting to see you all here."

"You didn't?" Ann was smiling.

"Actually no. I already suspected the moment we stopped at the park." Makoto's detective senses were tingling. "What's with the butler and maid outfits?" We noticed that they were using those damn outfits when we explored Mementos long time ago.

"Someone needed to attend you for dinner." Akira commented, almost like enjoying his role a butler.

"Hold on a sec…where is Futaba?" I asked them when I noticed there was someone missing, not teasing me or else. I heard someone walking towards us. I saw Futaba and Morgana in maid outfits; I was surprised he got one from his own size.

"Sorry for being late I had to carry this through here." She commented while dragging a huge box on a wagon for kids.

"It is too big, what is it?" Makoto asked while examining the present.

"It is from Katsuo-kun, he made sure to give this to you." Oh boy, I knew what it was.

"Really? Let me see." Makoto started to tear apart the paper, she slowly took a look inside and her face became red the moment she saw her present. "OH MY GOD IS BUCHIMARU-KUN!" She really got excited for that dumb bear.

"Yeah despite I still don't care about that bear, it was hard to find one like that." I commented while just looking away. Did I tell you already how embarrassed I was so far?

"You are the best!" She hugged me with all her strength.

"How did you get that?" I asked to Futaba, since it wasn't supposed to get at home until later.

"I changed the delivery address and time of arrival, since you wouldn't be able to bring it here." Sometimes I love you gremlin, sometimes.

"You know? It would be great if you could get a Buchimaru costume for Katsuo. I'm sure Makoto would be happy about it." That punk commented with smirk.

"Haha…fuck you too, Lil Bro." I replied in my usual sarcastic tone.

The table was ready, with spaghetti for dinner and music around. They brought a third chair to sit that bear with us on the side. Everyone gave presents to Makoto, but Haru brought an expensive wine for us. Yusuke was painting everything around with us on the center. That was truly a special night for everyone, but mostly for me and Makoto.

"I love you." I said it to her.

"I never thought you would say something that corny." She replied while doing a small laugh.

"Well excuse me Miss Perfect if wanted to be one at least."

"It's alright, I love you too." We smiled at each other, wishing the moment never ends.

"Hey Katsuo, I asked Futaba to order you a Buchimaru costume, what size are you again?"

"GODDAMMIT RYUJI!"


	19. Good Company

**The hiatus is finally over since semester is done. Let's continue with the story, shall we? Also, Yakuza DLC was announced for P5:DSN, so it could choose a character for Katsuo's outfit, it would be Shinada from Yakuza 5. Don't ask why.**

 **Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

"So, what's up with you?" Sakamoto asked me once we took our seat at the Ramen Shop.

"Huh? What's what?" I replied, pretty much confused about his question.

"Yeah, I mean I'm surprised that you invited us to hang out instead of going back home or else like usual." Perceptive for Sakamoto, I never thought he would mind about it.

"Well, I wanted to change a bit of my usual routine. After a long day in Mementos, minus well bring you with me to eat something." What else could I say? We couldn't talk much about personal stuff when we ate sushi.

"I think it is a good idea. We should reward ourselves with a fine dinner to enhance our comradery." Eloquent as always, Yusuke.

"Yeah, unless you want me to pay the food for you again…" Sakamoto wasn't pleased about paying Yusuke's order, so far I could say that he can't manage his money very well.

"Hey hey, guys. No worries because it is on me the ramen tonight." I offered to pay for everyone.

"Are you sure? I don't want to bother you to pay everything for us."

"Since when are you so modest, Sakamoto? I don't mind it since I'm the one who invited you guys." Well, at least for that day though because my paycheck would be on the following day anyway.

We ordered three specials for each one of us, Yusuke and I could sense the great aroma from the soup and noodles while Sakamoto was just mouthwatering. I usually don't eat ramen often when I had mostly instant noodles or milk at home after work. Not a so good balanced meal huh? I haven't time to try cooking by myself unless I do some grill. Maybe try practicing my cooking now that we were in summer.

With the big bowls on the table, we prayed for the food as usual and started digging it. Eggs, pork, beef, vegetables, thick noodles, and great seasoning helped us to regain our energy from earlier. It was a shame no one else came with us, but it didn't bother me at all as I couldn't afford more bowls for them. The bowls were pretty huge, so we started to talk while eating to slow our pace.

"Hey, I forgot to ask you about how was Madarame's Palace. If it is not much of a problem for you of course." I tried to strike the conversation, hoping not to ruin the mood.

"Not at all, since you joined us late is understandable to know about past targets." Yusuke's tone wasn't so pleased when I mentioned old wounds, but I was curious since I never met Madarame personally to know what kind of person he was exactly.

Sakamoto and Yusuke started to tell me the whole story; they weren't good with the narration like always. They explained that Madarame's Palace was a museum and his Shadow got feudal clothes. It really pissed me off how he pretended to live in poverty, and he mistreated his pupils to live in such conditions when he got the money to make their lives better. The story wasn't so bad so far until they had to fight Madarame's Shadow when he told them the awful truth about Yusuke's mom. That old geezer let her die and took 'Sayuri' as his own, and taking care of Yusuke while living in poor conditions was painful to hear.

"That's…so fucking messed up man. I'm so sorry to hear that, Yusuke." I was so moody, regretting to ask about it.

"It's alright; it was awful at first knowing such horrible truth until I met everyone. They helped me to confront the person who I once admired finally."

"Betray, huh? How familiar are you with Shakespeare?" I asked, knowing well how informed is Yusuke about literature.

"Plenty if you ask me, why?" Yusuke raised an eyebrow in an intrigued tone.

"Then you must know about Julius Caesar."

"Of course I do, why bringing it so sudden?"

"Because the idea from being betrayed by someone you knew for a long time is pretty painful than any physical wound. That play is one of my favorites because of how easy it is to relate to anyone. I couldn't imagine myself if one of my friends would do such a thing in the future."

"Y'know we would never do that to anyone, man." Sakamoto commented.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but sometimes I get paranoid that the people I know would do something like that to me someday."

"Don't worry, old pal. You know me very well. I would never turn my back to my 'numero dos', right?"

"That's true…wait, what?" I started to notice that someone else commented and it wasn't Sakamoto or Yusuke the one who said that. I turned my head behind me, and a surprise came on that day.

"Sup' pal." Souta was sitting next to me out of nowhere.

"Hey man, I didn't see you coming."

"I just came a few minutes ago. It looks like you went to eat with friends without me, eh?" He said it in a playful tone, as always.

"Sorry. Guys, this is Hazama Souta, he is a childhood friend. Souta, this is Sakamoto Ryuji and Kitagawa Yusuke, friends of mine and Akira." I just presented each other, kind of awkward moment to be honest.

"Hoo, so they are friends of the guy with glasses. Nice to meet you two." Souta waved his hand to them.

"Yo."

"Greetings"

"You have been doing more friends on the last six years huh?"

"Not really, I just met them this year." I was modest with the details.

"How exactly?" Souta was intrigued about them.

"Let's say I met them while I was doing some 'social services' since June." If by social services means helping people from criminals and assholes, yeah it was pretty accurate.

"Interesting, but it doesn't sound as much fun for me."

"Why you say that?" Yusuke asked him.

"What can I say? It's simple because no matter what you do, it doesn't do much of a change."

"And what kind of changes are you referrin' at?" Sakamoto asked him as well.

"Changes like the Phantom Thieves of course!" Our eyes got wide open when Souta mentioned us. "Those guys are doing one hell of a job kicking criminal asses. Are you familiar with them?"

That wasn't good for me, even if he praised us he would mention Goro in front of them, and I wasn't ready, to tell the truth yet. "Yeah, sort of…why?" I replied on an unsure tone.

"Because I wanted to ask them something."

"And what question could it be?" Yusuke asked while looking worried as well.

"What do you think about that rivalry between them and Akechi Goro?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, which side are you with?" Oh shit, the thing I feared the most was about to happen.

"Well, we are more on the side of the Phantom Thieves." Sakamoto replied, not keeping his mouth shut as always.

"I see…the reason I asked you that is because this guy and I are…" I had to think quickly not to let them know. The most that got on my mind was Sakamoto's drink was on edge, on point to fall at any moment. I had to make a small kick to shake the table. Enough to make his drink spilled on him.

"Gaaah! What the hell? Why this always happens to me every time I eat ramen?" He didn't notice I did that on purpose, sorry to do this on you, Sakamoto. "*Sigh* I need to go to the restroom and clean my T-shirt." He said while lamenting.

"I'll go with you." Yusuke commented.

"Dude, are you a chick? I can go by myself." He replied while looking annoying.

"I just need to use the restroom... that's all."

"Fine, but don't take too long alright? We will be back for a moment." Those two stood up and went to the restroom. It wasn't the best idea but good thing it was the drink and not the ramen that fell on him.

Once alone with Souta, he looked at me with an odd expression. "What?" I asked.

"That was a bold move, pal." He complemented at me for no reason.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"I'm not dumb you know? I saw you're still using the same trick from 6 years ago." Souta caught me doing that to that punk. "Tell me, do they know we are friends with Goro?"

"No." I felt a little embarrassed.

"I see, the guy with blond hair said that they are more fans of the Phantom Thieves."

"Yeah, and they don't really like of Goro that much."

"I can see that. He is getting a lot of crap around media. Why hiding it though?"

"It is not that simple. I was thinking to tell them anyways until the moment arises."

"I got you, don't worry I won't mention him in front of them." Souta was understandable with me, good to hear at least. "But don't take it too long, or they will know sooner or later by their own. It will be a shitty situation if you don't tell them by yourself."

"I know that. Since when did you become an advisor?"

"When I stopped hanging out with you and Goro." Souta's tone became pretty melancholic. "Even if we were friends for just a single year, you two were brothers for me."

"That is awfully sentimental of you."

"Hehe, I'm trying to be the very at least." We fist bumped together, years of taking care of each other's backs and now things are getting better to a certain degree. It didn't too long after Sakamoto and Yusuke came back from the restroom.

They took their respective seats and started to apologize for taking so long. "Hey man, what were you saying before I got stuff on my clothes?" Sakamoto asked Souta, still curious about his answer.

"Oh yeah, I was about to say that I and this guy are Phanboys." He said in his upbeat tone. "But you have to cut some slack for Akechi, you know?"

"What?" Sakamoto replied not such a happy attitude about it.

"I mean, he is trying to do his job. I'm sure both sides have their league of haters anyways. It wouldn't be fair being one sided all the time when both are trying to do their best." That was pretty smooth of Souta to being on Goro's side without really saying it.

"I suppose." Yusuke commented, being fair about criticizing the other.

"Whatever is the case, I have to go."

"Leaving so soon? I thought you would accompany us to eat." I got surprised that Souta couldn't stay a bit longer.

"I ordered as take-out because I got important stuff to do for the right now." He grabbed a bag with his food, while looking at his phone. "Oh, I almost forgot, I didn't ask your phone number since the last time I talked with you."

"Sure, here is mine." We exchanged numbers, hoping to do something now that summer was here.

"Welp, time to go, it was great to meet you too." He said goodbye to everyone, leaving the ramen shop with us still wondering if he heard a chunk of us or something.

Sakamoto and Yusuke were looking at me with curiosity, why everyone gave me that expression? "So, that was odd." Yusuke commented.

"About what?"

"That you never told us about your friend." Sakamoto commented as well.

"What is odd about that I got friends beside you guys?"

"Well… we always thought you would be the antisocial type before meeting you."

"Say that again, you punk." I was dumbfounded rather than mad about how they thought me as that kind of person. "What makes you think I can't make friends outside of the group?"

"I'm just saying, y'know?"

"Whatever man…" I made a small smile. I put my hand under my chin while lowering my head, thinking. "But is just an old friend, there is nothing remarkable about it."

"I think it is good to have friends from a long time. Most of us didn't have many friends before joining the group." That was reassuring of Sakamoto. "Well that doesn't matter that we are friends, don't ya think?"

"I'm agreed with Ryuji as well, being a Phantom Thief changed my life as I didn't know many people besides Madarame and some of the few pupils. It may sound like fate tied to us." Yusuke commented about his own experience, feeling grateful about it.

"Fate… huh?" It is hard to believe life is already written down for us. "Maybe or maybe not, I guess I shouldn't complain so much now that I'm with you guys."

"I think you are becoming grumpy of how old you are… hehehe."

"I'm just 19, Sakamoto... I guess I'm becoming one like my old man." I couldn't think anymore before I stand up from my seat, Yusuke stopped me.

"Hold on, Katsuo!"

"What? Is something wrong Yusuke?" It caught me by surprise how he overreacted.

"It was perfect."

"Huh?"

"That posture… the hunch and hand under the chin. You looked like 'The Thinker' from Rodin. I wished I could have something to draft it right now." Seriously? Was it just that?

"I thought there was something more important…" I sighed "Don't give me that kind of surprises, Yusuke." I mean, he took his art way too seriously. "Hey Sakamoto, you are living with just your mother?"

"Yeah, why though…?" I gave some money to that punk. "Huh? What's with this?"

"Get some dinner for your mom on your way back home, she most but worried for coming late."

"For real!? Dude this is great! Now you are becomin' our friendly neighbor gangster?"

"Don't push your luck by calling me like that, punk." I paid the ramen from all of us and one more as take-out for Sakamoto's mother. It is tough for single mothers raising a punk like him, a good guy but unable to control himself. I parted ways with them to get back home.

It was quite a pleasant surprise to see Souta once more, although unexpected as he keeps appearing out of nowhere. I was thinking of choosing my words carefully in public the next time because I don't want him to hear our conversations involved with Phantom Thieves activities. It was a productive day to visit Mementos for the first time and trying to get along with the others, but something bothered me about the targets in that place. Greed was a pretty cliché motive, and their Shadows were so much of a letdown, almost wishing for better fights... What a day.

* * *

Another day of summer in Tokyo, Akira didn't tell us any plans about Futaba's Palace, which most likely wanted to get supplies and other stuff ready for that place. At least I was able to work on the day and relax in the meanwhile. I stopped at Jinbocho to buy some new books. After finally done reading about reincarnation, I was hoping to find more books related to it. I was low in money that day after paying Sakamoto's and Yusuke's ramen from the previous night, so finding a store where books were cheaper or in special sales was essential for me to. I still didn't get my paycheck yet, but I couldn't wait anymore to get a new book.

I was looking in an ancient store, where books were so awfully stacked on each other. The place was unorganized and pretty much full of books that they had some of them outside due to lack of space inside. There weren't many people inside, so I took a look around. With that kind of quantity of books, I had to ask the store owner about references.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you have books related to reincarnation or other types of the afterlife?"

"Pretty odd to being interested in it, do you practice it or something?" The store owner replied, curious about my interests.

"Not really, but I find it interesting that concept."

"Sadly, I don't have any books about it, young man." I felt disappointed by his answer.

"Is that so? Well, it's alright I guess…"

"But I do have a book about Hinduism, which pretty much covers topics related to it." I was interested in Hinduism, as to how ridicule but fascinating for some of the tales have. "Sure, where do you have it?"

"It's on the second floor, shelf H." The owner gave me a paper with the necessary info about the book and location. I thanked him for at least tell me he had a book that I could use. I walked towards the upstairs and still being shocked by how the pile of books never ends. Someone should hire an assistant or something to make that place more presentable.

"Almost there…" I heard a girl's voice on the same floor. The book store wasn't deserted at the very at least. I saw her trying to reach a book on shelf G, but the book out of her reach due to the height. Why didn't she use a ladder?

"Need some help?" I asked the girl.

"Oh no, it is fine. I can get by myself." She politely rejected my help, but I wasn't convinced.

"Are you sure? It looks like you have a hard time to reach it." I mean, the girl was around or even shorter than Makoto's height. "Let me get it for you." I extended my arm to the highest part of the shelf. I noticed it was a book about gardening while handing it to her. "There you have it."

"Thank you so much. You are truly a gentleman." She complimented me while smiling.

"Sure, no problem." I replied while kept walking to shelf H, looking for mine. So many books that I couldn't see where it was. I checked on each level, but it wasn't there, did the owner gave me the wrong location?

"Are you looking for something?" The girl asked me while I was still looking at.

"Yeah, but it seems that I can't find anywhere." I was slightly annoyed about how unorganized the place was.

"Let me help you as well."

"Nah it is fine. I don't want to bother you with this."

"Let me repay you for what you did for me a moment ago." She was being so modest about helping me find my book. I couldn't reject the offer as to how cheerful she looked.

"Alright then, take a look at this." I gave her the paper with the book's info.

"Oh, I saw it before."

"Really? Where is it?"

"There…" She pointed at the stack of books, saying it was on the bottom of them.

"Are you kidding me?" I didn't like how bad it was, the pile of books should collapse on the moment I get my mine out of them. I walked towards them and kneeled to reach it. I slowly moved some of the books out of the way. Long story short, it didn't end well for me.

"Fuuuuuu…!" The moment I grabbed my book, the pile fell over me like an avalanche. It was a mess to see all those books on the floor. I didn't get hurt but damn. I hated my own luck with that.

"Are you alright?" The girl asked me while looking concerned for my wellbeing.

"I'm fine, no broken bones but I caused such a ruckus huh?" I said it with a joking tone, not that it would help me with the mess though. "Would you help me to accommodate everything back?"

"Of course." She started to pick some of the books while I stacked them where they were, in a more orderly manner since no one else would have to deal with that bullshit ever again.

"So, gardening huh? Sounds like an interesting hobby." I tried to make a conversation with her. Don't get me the wrong idea; I wasn't thinking to hit on her or something. I was doing a casual talk to light a bit the mood.

"It is… I do a lot at home and school." She replied while being busy with the books.

"Are you a high schooler?"

"Third year at Shujin, and you?"

"Me? I already graduated from there."

"So you are a college student?"

"Not for the moment, I'm only working right now to save some money for my studies."

"I see… Are you having financial problems?" She looked at me with curiosity.

"Not really, I just wanted to live independently from my family."

"Why independently?"

"Well, it is complicated stuff… If I could describe it better, I wanted to live away from them."

"Oh…I can understand it." Her expression became sad like something was bothering her as well. Not smooth of me to make her feel that way. "Have we met each other before?"

"Not so sure to be honest."

We were finally done accommodating everything; it didn't take us that long as the conversation went good while being busy. From what I could tell, she looked like a nice person, almost like Ann or Makoto. She had sophisticated clothes, which I could assume she was upper class or something. It is quite rare to find that kind of people on places like those.

"Finally, everything looks good now." She commented while looking around how the place was much better than before.

"But there still too many books, seems that people don't read quite often." I replied in disappointment.

"True, it is a shame that most people don't like to read books nowadays."

"This store looks rather old; I'm surprised it is still open despite the small space."

"Hey, would you like to drink some tea with me? I heard the owner offered some to the clients after buying books."

"That sounds good, but I have to back to work right now." Tea and books sounded as good as coffee and books. It was sad that I couldn't have enough time for either.

"It's fine. I would like to know your name the next time we see each other."

"Sure, my name is Ryuunosuke Katsuo and you?"

"Okumura Haru, I'm glad to be acquainted with you Ryuunosuke-san."

"The same goes for me, Okumura-san. I will see you some other time. Take care of yourself."

"Take care too." We said goodbye to each other while I went downstairs to pay for the book.

Once in the cashier, the owner was reading his newspaper while drinking tea, awfully relaxed regardless of how messy the place was. "Did you have what you were looking for?" The owner asked me.

"Yeah, despite how difficult it was to find in this place."

"I must apologize for the mess. Usually, my wife helps me to organize everything, but she is out for the weekend." Good thing he was aware of that place or I almost make a complaint.

"Don't worry... at least I got the book."

"What sweet girl she is, don't you think?" The owner asked me about Okumura-san.

"She is nice for sure, why asking me though?"

"Well, I saw you two helping me to organize the books from the second floor."

"More like fixing the disaster I caused." I said it with honesty while feeling embarrassed.

"That's not a problem…Tell you what, I will give you a discount for the book for helping me with the second floor. Deal?"

"Alright deal." I paid half the price for the book while the owner gave me the receipt. It really helped me to save some money until I could get my paycheck. The owner offered me some tea, but I declined and told that Okumura-san offered me the same thing. He looked happy while I was leaving the store.

I wanted to check my book first to see what kind of information could have about Hinduism, and funny enough was a compilation of stories about the 'Devas' while fighting against the 'Asuras.' The Asuras were portrayed as six arms and three faces demigods, known to be entities of rage or vengeance. They were beings that took pleasure about violent acts in society. Despite the intriguing premise, it disgusted me the idea of enjoying fighting for no good reason. I hoped to never fall for that path ever again.


	20. Learning Curve

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

"What do you mean I can't get my paycheck!?"

" _Sorry Katsuo-san, but we ran into some issues later on the company."_ Well, he sounded so unsure about it. I got the feeling my boss was telling me bullshit.

"What kind of 'issues' are you talking about?"

" _Well…It's been a change in management, then the low demand from last month and some of the couriers left the company as well. It is just some minor issues."_ Oddly calm for some minor issues.

"Yeah, it sounds SO unimportant for the company." I said that in my sarcastic tone.

" _I will try to get your payment before the end of the month, I promise."_ The call ended so abruptly, it pissed me off.

"Grrrrrr…the nerve with that wimp!" I said that about my employer, I refused to call him my boss as to how weak-willed that guy was. The delivery job became worse lately, and money became scarce for me. It would be hard for me to change jobs, since being a courier got more money than working at Crossroads. I was sitting on the bench next to the dog's statue at Shibuya, being desperate while looking at the ground with total disappointment. I checked my phone for any recent news about Medjed, nothing interesting came out of the official website. "What should I do now?" I asked to myself, pretty unsure that probably I would lose my job.

"Then what about applying for college?" I heard someone saying that while turning my head around to see who said that. She was the only person I would hate to hear about it.

"Yeah right, I would rather be dragged on the highway from the neck than studying in a college from this country."

"Then stop complaining of not knowing what to do." Makoto just tried to give me a sermon about education and that stupid shit she would only care about.

"That is none of your business, alright?" I was getting annoyed by her stupid habit of getting in someone's private stuff. Despite my attitude, I switched to a more neutral mood since she wasn't doing anything else to bother me. "So, what brings you here? Just passing by?"

"I just assumed you would be here taking a break from work." It sounded like she was looking for me, odd.

"Oh yeah? Why I have the feeling you are not here to say hello to me?"

"That's right. I want to ask you a favor if you are not too busy of course." Oh no…

"What kind of favor?" I replied, pretty much on an unenthusiastic tone.

"Well…" She was struggling between words. What was the favor, I wouldn't like it regardless? "I want you to teach me how to ride a motorcycle."

"…" I fell in silence for a moment while thinking in a retrospective about the favor. "You want me to teach you how to ride a bike?" I asked to make sure I didn't hear something else.

"Yes…"

"But…your Persona is damn bike! How you expect me to teach you how to ride one if you already can do?" I was sure that she is not that dumb, but I felt like my intelligence got insulted by that kind of logic.

"That's the thing! I can only ride Johanna in the Metaverse, but not one in the real world." She replied with a straight up tone, really serious about it.

"Ok before going into details. Why that sudden need to learn on riding a bike? Most importantly why specifically me though?"

"Well… a couple of days ago, I was doing some shopping with Ann. She was complementing about how cool it was to ride Johanna, but I told her that I couldn't do that in the real world. She was surprised about it and asked me why I didn't learn yet. I told her that Sis has one, but never got the time or place to teach me properly." That was too much for Makoto's explanation.

"Then how you got the idea I could teach you?" I asked her while being raising an eyebrow.

"Ann suggested me that you could teach me since you helped her with acting tips."

"Oh, is that so?" Damn you Blondie. She was going to pay me for that. "I'm not so sure if it is a good idea to teach you." I barely can explain the basics, since I only learned how to ride one without anybody's help.

"It can't be that hard to learn to be honest."

"Sorry, but I'm sure you have more important things to do than just learning this." I stood up and walked away, not interested in teaching her how to ride a bike. Most importantly, I don't allow anyone to touch my motorcycle.

"Hey! You are fine to help others but not me?" Makoto complained, as like I really didn't care about helping her.

"Yeah sorry, but I have my problems to deal with right now." You may think I was an asshole with her, but we needed to be a realist about it. Unlike the others, I'm not always available for full-time lessons. Sakamoto with the gym was more like making some company while training, and Ann was just giving her a bit of advice.

"You promised Akira to help everyone, remember?" She tried to persuade me about giving my word to our leader. "Also, I don't think you would be able to work on delivery since you are having trouble with your employer."

"Stick your nose on somewhere else, because my problems do not concern you, Miss Perfect." Oh boy not again, this is the result of two mature people not being agreed with each other. No matter how many time I refused to help her, she always will come up with something to convince. Why are all Niijimas so persuasive and nosy? No matter how much I want to be so nice with her, that habit of hers doesn't help me.

"Oh, so you are disrespecting Akira's promise? That sounds like a real shame. I wonder what he would say if he knows about it." Makoto was getting in my nerves, knowing that I never break a promise to anyone. How the hell she knew about that?

"You wouldn't dare…" I was frowning, as she reached the lowest level on abusing authority. My fingers were between my eyes out of frustration. The only option I got was to comply, but that would be under my own terms. "Grrrr…Fine, but let's make a couple of things clear for you." I was thinking about the rules that she wants me to teach her. "Number 1, I choose the place to teach you. Number 2, you will do what I say, no complains if I am making things rough for you. And number 3, get your own helmet. I want to avoid accidents if you get careless." I would be strict with her, since riding a motorcycle is not that easy.

"See? It is not that hard to help others." She was smiling with satisfaction, but I wasn't happy about.

"Yeah yeah, don't make me regret this." Before I could go with my life, I remembered something important to give her if she wants to get into the lessons. I pulled out a manual from my backpack, and I handed for her. "One more thing; you should read this before we could start with the practice. I can't explain to you about all the technical stuff. You are more capable of understanding this and getting a good idea of how traffic laws work." That should keep her busy.

"Interesting, it doesn't look that much to learn though." Makoto commented while peeking on the pages.

"Yeah but the truth is, there is stuff that is not in the manual. So use it as a reference in the meanwhile until we get to the real lessons." If you thought to teach Sakamoto for his exams was bad enough, now imagine teaching someone like Makoto should be a more insufferable thing to do in my opinion. "Now, when you finally are done learning about the manual, send me a message to take you to the appointed place."

"Do you have a place in mind?"

"I do, but I need to ask permission first. Don't worry about it." There weren't many open spaces in Tokyo to practice without bothering anyone. Except one, but I was hoping they could let us practice it on that terrain. I parted ways with Makoto after saying goodbye.

If you were thinking a place to practice without disturbing, take a second wild guess. You already did it? Good, because it was the Geminis Orphanage. I wasn't sure if they would allow me to help Makoto's lessons in that place. That was the first thing that came out of my mind since the area was really far from any other houses, with flat terrain for any vehicle. Despite that place looked perfect at first glance as I was worried to disturb the other kids with the noise, and I don't want to get the bad side of Aragaki-san.

* * *

I finally arrived at that place, and I saw some kids playing outside. I parked my bike on the side of the orphanage so nobody would get near it. The site looked lively than the last time I came but still needs some paint job. There weren't many kids outside. Probably there were more. I knocked to the front door, but it seems that no one answered. I knocked again, but this time was Aragaki's and Arisato's daughter Yuki, who opened the door.

"Hello, mister!" She greeted me in an energetic tone.

"Hey, Yuki-chan. Are your parents at home?" I kneeled myself to talk to her directly on the eyes. She nodded and started shouting inside.

"Mommy! Mr. Biker is here!" What the…? Did she call me Mr. Biker? After that, Arisato-san came from the first floor and received me with her usual cheerful behavior. "It is a surprise to see you again, Kat-kun." She was covered in flour and chocolate.

"Yeah, the same thing I could say. Are you doing some cleaning?" I asked him while she looked herself with all that mess on her.

"Oh sorry, I was teaching to the other kids about the bakery. Things started to look good until we ended in a food fight. I think Shinji-kun is going to lose his mind when he sees what we did to the kitchen." I got a sweatdrop by noting how she can be so carefree about it.

"Yeah, I can see it. Speaking of which, where is Aragaki-san?"

"Oh, he is buying some food for dinner." She sounded so excited about it, and it seems that she enjoys cooking as well.

"That sounds good. Are you planning something in particular?"

"Oh no, Shinji-kun is the one who will make the dinner." I was surprised that her fiancé was the cooker and not Arisato-san.

"Really? I didn't expect Aragaki-san to be that kind of person to do cooking." I mean, that guy looked like one of my family's enforcers.

"Yeah, and he is the best! Is weird for a man doing the cooking?"

"N-no no no absolutely not…" I replied nervously. "I think it is a good thing for a man to know how to cook. I'm more jealous, to be honest." Comparing to the kind of food I had in my apartment, I would be a disgrace for any healthy alimentation program.

"That is good to hear." She took off the bandana from her head while looking at what the other children were doing. "Would you like to accompany us tonight? Shinji-kun tends to do more than enough for all of us." I guess I didn't have many options since I still need to ask permission from both of them.

"Sure, I don't have anything important for the moment." I had nothing else to do. I stepped inside the place and picked my curiosity around how much stuff they got around. A naginata hanged on the wall? It was a fake though, but that was definitely something else. On the living room, they got a lot of pictures over some shelves, some of the looked like photos when they were in high school due to the uniforms they were wearing. My interest grew more as the pictures showed group photos; it was easy to pinpoint Arisato-san and Aragaki-san, but something felt odd about the guy with blue hair, with the bangs covering one of his eyes. Was he someone important for them? It was none of my business anyways.

"So, why you came here?" Arisato-san asked me since it was odd of me to visit them without any delivery work.

"Oh? I wanted to ask you and your fiancé about something, a minor thing."

"Really, now that makes me curious." She said as we walked to the kitchen. That place looked like a hurricane came with so many ingredients on the walls and tables. "Huh, I swear it was messier than before." Is she serious? Oh boy, I started to doubt if it was a good idea to ask her first than Aragaki-san, but he would decline it in a matter of seconds. Either way, there was no turning back.

"Fire on the hole!" One of the kids launched a pie across the room; I reacted in time to avoid that cliché slapstick routine.

"Dumbass! The game was already over!" Another kid commented in annoyance.

"Not fair, Aunty Minako got the highest score!"

"Adults do not count!"

"You don't count!"

"Shut up you two. We have a visit." A girl with a matured attitude intervened between those two boys.

"Kids, say hello to Katsuo-kun." Arisato-san presented me in front of the children. They greeted me cheerfully. "Kat-kun, I want you to present Nishi, Maki, and Jun. You already knew Yuki-chan, and the ones outside are Rita, Sochi, Saya, and Kei." Seven orphans to take care, that sounded difficult.

"Hi…" I was feeling embarrassed about how they were looking at me.

"Mister, are you in a biker gang?" The kid called Nishi asked me in a not so subtle way.

"What!?" I felt insulted to be compared to one of those guys.

"Yeah I saw his bike outside, and he looks kinda scary like Uncle Shinji." Jun followed the comment.

"No way, I don't think Uncle Shinji is that scary."

"He isn't? Have you seen him how angry he was by the last time you broke the fence!?"

"Because you pushed me!" Nishi was getting upset with Jun.

"It was an accident, dumbass!"

"Nah-huh…it wasn't."

"Yes, it was!" Someone should give me a break. The mood of those two changed from one second to another.

"Enough with you two!" Maki stopped the bickering between Nishi and Jun, well looks like she got used to it. "I want to apologize; those two like to discuss a lot with each other."

"Not a problem, I understood the feeling." It reminded me how bad the arguments between Morgana and Sakamoto were bad enough to give me a migraine. "So, are you trying to bake something?" I asked the kids since they were trying to learn from Arisato-san.

"Some cookies, banana cupcakes, and other sweets…until SOMEONE threw flour on my face." Maki was glaring at Nishi.

"Calm down everyone, we were just having fun, right?" How can she be so relaxed and forgiving? Sometimes I wondered if Arisota-san was the adult in that place. "Let's just finish cleaning before Shinji-kun comes back."

"Yes, Aunty Minako!" The kids replied in unison while starting working with the cleaning. Yuki-chan also began to help them although she couldn't do much. Arisato-san told me to wait on the living room in the meanwhile.

It was a surprise that this place was running smoothly for them. I usually got stories of how bad the orphanages tend to be: Kids starving, mistreatment, and physical abuse, all about suffering. I never could imagine that this place looked like paradise compared to other places. Yeah, society is rotten to the core. Sometimes I felt I was part of the problem too.

"So what do you think?" She asked me while I was looking around.

"About what?"

"It seems something caught your attention."

"Yeah, I would like to know why you have naginata on the wall."

"Oh, that old relic? It was part of my collection when I was in high school." What kind of teenager collects weapons? She was an odd person.

"Collection? That sounds…peculiar if I can be honest with you."

"Yeah, it is…" Her face turned serious, almost like something was bothering her. "You know? Sometimes I felt like life is too short every time I see that."

"Why are you saying that?"

"Nothing important. I was just mumbling." Yeah quickly got into her more happy face, it was weird to see her not smiling or something.

"I'm kind of curious about how you can maintain this place. I would like to know."

"Well, I work as a call center agent. Pretty much hearing people's problems and client complains. Shinji-kun works two shifts on different jobs." It sounded tough for them.

"And are you alright with that? It sounds a lot for you."

"We are fine, we sometimes received help from our friend, and although we insisted her to not bother with that."

"Why turned down her offer of help?" Her friend sounded like a resourceful person.

"It is a complicated matter, all I can say is we wanted to handle things independently from her." Her reason sounded awfully familiar for some reason. "Don't get the wrong idea. We are still good friends with her. The thing is we wanted her to focus more on her job than being worried about us."

"Oh my…" They chose to make things for themselves, really humble of them. It really made me jealous in a way. "Why are you telling me this?" I asked her since it was too much history for someone like me.

"Because I got the feeling that you would understand everything than most people." What? Is she some fortune teller like Mifune-san? Or Am I that easy to read for other people? "And you know? I would ask a favor for you if you are willing to do it."

Is this 'Ask Katuo a favor day'…? I already got too much to deal with Makoto. Whatever would be Arisato's favor, I couldn't turn her down since she was being too honest with me. "I suppose I can help you with something."

"Really? Great!"

"Just under one condition, Arisato-san"

"Oh, what is it Kat-kun?"

"Well…" It was hard to tell it straight to her since it would be like abusing her hospitability. "It is the reason I came here in the first place, to ask permission to bring a friend of mine here to teach her how to ride my motorcycle."

"She? Oh, your friend is a girl? Are you two dating? Is she cute?" Oh for the love of… She started to make way to many questions.

"It is nothing like that alright? I'm just asking you take help her with that. Nothing else…"

"It is perfect actually." She sounded so excited, and I didn't like how the conversation was going.

"Why perfect?"

"I would like you and your friend to tutor some of my kids."

"Wait…What?" I was almost speechless of what she asked me for. "You want me, and my friend to tutor some of your kids?" I stated.

"Yes."

"Ok….but why?" I mean, do I look like a teacher for you?

"Because most of our kids can't always have a decent education, or go to a normal school. I can barely teach them some basic topics, and Shinji-kun not always has the patience to teach someone else. We are getting busy lately with our own jobs, and we couldn't find good tutors for them." Well, that made sense of asking me that. They are taking care of 8 children, including their daughter. I would feel bad not helping them with that at least.

"Alright, my friend and I will help you with some of your kids. She is an outstanding academic person anyways." Having Makoto to teach some of my most hated classes, it certainly helps.

"Wonderful. We'll be waiting for you." Arisato-san was reluctant about my answer. In mere seconds, Aragaki-san came back from buying the groceries. He looked tired with that expression on his eyes.

"Sorry for getting late. I had to go on different stores to find the remaining ingredients." He turned to me while he was walking in the living room. "It's you again." He wasn't really pleased to see me again.

"Shijiiiiiii-kun~" Arisato-san just leaped towards him, expecting to be cached on his arms. "I have some good news for you!"

"What is it, Minako?" He was totally lost, not knowing what was going on in his absence.

"We finally have tutors for the kids!"

"That's good, who exactly?" She pointed at me for him. "Him? Are you serious!?"

"Yep, and he will bring a friend to help us as well." Aragaki-san was somewhat dumbfounded about what she said. He was looking at me in disbelief.

"Hey if it helps to comfort you, it wasn't my idea on the first place, alright?" I had to excuse myself, so he wouldn't get even madder at me. He sighed and walked towards the kitchen without saying a word.

"Mhh, I wonder if they were done cleaning the kitchen…" Arisato-san asked to herself. It was already too late anyway.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY KITCHEN!?" We heard him yelling.

"I guess that answers the question." I commented while trying to keep my cool. "It seems that dinner would be for another time; try to explain him the detail for me, would you?"

"Yes, I hope to see you again, Kat-kun." I said goodbye to her and the kids while tiptoeing towards the exit. I grabbed my bike and left the area as soon as possible.

I have to say, that was quite an unlucky day for me. First the book store, then not getting my paycheck, and finally becoming the teacher for Makoto and those kids of the orphanage. Why I'm always being dragged in those kinds of problems?

On my way home, I received a message from Yusuke.

 **Yusuke:** Hey, would you like to accompany me tomorrow for an art exhibition? I want your opinion about my latest paint.

Things never end for me, huh? I finally understood how Akira was feeling about helping other people every day. "What I did on my past life to deserve this?" I said that in a beaten tone.


	21. Forgiveness Above All Things

**I know, a whole month without any updates, sorry for that since I can't help myself of writing a different story. Don't worry, I'm sure it won't take too long for the next chapter. Enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

July 28th, it was an open exhibition on an Art Gallery. Yusuke asked me to accompany him for his latest piece. He told me that he has been working for weeks, and Akira was helping him to find the inspiration to make it. He titled it as 'Desire and Hope,' it kind of looked like something from Mementos but with bright colors, odd.

"So what do you think?" Yusuke asked me on regard his piece.

"To be honest, it is quite…colorful?" I felt unsure of how to express about his painting. "Sorry, but I'm not good as an art appreciator."

"Don't worry. I'm sure you can give it a try. You only have to take a look and reflect on it."

"I guess… I will try it again." I started to focus my sight on his painting, but nothing could give the slightest idea of what to say. My eyes began to hurt how much I was staring at it without blinking. "It's no use. I can have opinions about a lot of things but not art itself." I looked like a fool of not having anything good to say in general.

"Mhhh… Maybe we should walk a little and see the other paintings."

"Why though? I mean, if it can't give you an honest opinion with yours, then I can't learn from other people."

"I was thinking about to lite that spark in yours."

"Beg your pardon? What are you talking about?"

"You never went to an art gallery before, right?"

"Yes, so?"

"Then looking around could help you to create a criticism and develop some interest about art in general." Yusuke's logic was off-putting for me at times, but it sounded like it made sense in context.

"Oh, so you want me to build opinion in the base of everyone's works?"

"Precisely."

"…" I couldn't argue much about it. "Alright, minus well I can expand a little my taste for art."

"Excellent." Yusuke was delightful about it.

"But there is something I don't get it. Why asking my opinion instead of some who knows more about art than me? I mean, Akira helped you right? Why not him?"

"He already did that yesterday. The reason for asking you is because I remembered when you mentioned Shakespeare two days ago."

"Yeah, but what Shakespeare has to do with any of this?" I'm making too many questions, huh?

"You seem like a person with a refined taste for theater and classic literature. Art is not so different when it comes to your imagination and opinions in regard to visuals."

"I never thought about it before." I was interested in Yusuke's argument.

"Also, you once said about studying in Europe. If you accomplish that goal, I want to give you at least some ideas in case you visit any museum. I'm pretty jealous if you may ask."

"Maybe… You are the most likely to go to Europe before I could ever have the chance." I should be the jealous one since he had a fantastic talent. We started walking around and see the other pieces of work from other artists: some of them were quite eye-catching, others not by much. But I had to admit that brings quite impressive visuals and styles. The most that caught my eye was an abstract one, with psychedelic colors and mysterious figures.

"Mhhh? I'd never seen that kind of style before." Yusuke commented while being impressed by that weird painting.

"Tell me about it; even I got intrigued by that." To describe better the painting, it looked like from a fantasy world. Like mirrors and inverted colors, bizarre design and wild. "Who painted this?" Yusuke and I checked on the labels to see the title of the painting and its author.

" _A Butterfly Dream_ by Inaba Masao… I never heard of him before." Yusuke was certainly curious about that guy.

"He must be a really obscured artist, let me check if there is any info about him." I started checking my phone to see any other work from that artist. "Inaba Masao, a former graffiti artist who moved to America after graduating from St. Hermelin High School. Well, he has quite a private life since not much info about him is being shown in public."

"I see… it is quite a shame but understandable of not seeking recognition. I wish I could talk to him personally about it." The same could be said for me, such talent and not caring about fame or else. "You know, that is something I learned yesterday."

"And what is it?" I asked.

"That my friendship with everyone was my biggest inspiration. You could say I got a _resolution_ about learning _past mistakes_ and moving forward. I finally made peace with myself about Madarame's misdeeds. In the end, I am the one making my own choices for my _future._ " Yusuke's words were quite inspiring. I felt like he forgave his former mentor despite the wrong thing he did, but I guess letting things go was for the best for him.

"I see, that sounds a good thing to hear. And you know? I guess I can try to analyze your paint one more time." Yusuke nodded on my response, as hoping to give finally give an opinion.

Once finally standing in front of 'Desire and Hope,' I looked carefully every detail while the place started to play some classical music. Combining the visuals with the music gave some imagination as I was closing my eyes to reflect about it.

I felt…jealousy.

I didn't want to exaggerate with a painting, but it gave me some emotions. Something felt weird about seeing that paint. It was strange. Maybe I was feeling tired of taking the tour around the gallery. One thing for sure was I got my head filled with thoughts I could never expect. Was the passion of a person? Someone with real ambitions and goals…? I felt lacking in some of those areas. Yusuke was more determined and passionate than before like the first time I met him along with everyone.

"So what do you think?" Yusuke asked me once more about his painting.

"I'm still not sure yet, but I think I finally grasped about what art means in general. Maybe I should appreciate about other paintings before I can finally give you an honest and more semi-professional opinion."

"I understand it, good thing you finally started to appreciate art."

"Yeah, I got some fun. Coming here was better than just staying at home doing nothing." I mean seriously, there is nothing besides reading to do at my apartment. After doing some small talk, we left the gallery as it was getting late. I had to go and work at Crossroads like usual.

* * *

"My dear boy, are you done with that important business?"

"Mhhh? Why asking that, Lala-chan?"

"Well, I thought you wouldn't come this week. But it seems you were able to come yesterday and today." Ohya-san commented as well.

"Well, it is mostly unpredictable about the thing I have to do on the day." I commented. We only went to Mementos after visiting Futaba's Palace. You know, I started to be bored of not doing anything of activities as a Phantom Thief. Who could ever think that I would miss doing some action, even if I still hate Palaces? In the end, it didn't matter for me, just doing the usual routine as I always did.

"Tell me, is this something you are not telling us?" Ohya-san started to ask me as if I was in one of her interviews.

"It is nothing important if you ask me."

"Is this a girl? I would like to hear it!" Ohya-san sounded so excited, and I was getting annoyed.

"There is nothing like that, alright?"

"Aww come on, just tell me. You already understand that teenage-love drama never sells good stories."

"Ohya my dear, I don't think you need to pressure him for that kind of stuff." Lala-chan tried to intervene on our talk. If by 'talk' was the right word to describe it better.

"But then where is the fun of not teasing him~?"

"Oh, you better start…" Before I could reply to her, I started to sniff something odd about the place. It smelled like someone got drown in liquor. "Ohya-san…is me or you are drunk already?"

"What? It isn't the first time you see me like that, Katsuo." She was defensive about it, not that it helped her though.

"But this is just your second glass, how the hell did you get drunk that fast!?"

"I dunno." She just gave that half-assed answer.

"Don't know, huh? Then I can't serve you any more of you don't know." I took away the bottle from her, to avoid mild inconveniences.

"Sorry I've been working a lot lately on my next article about the Phantom Thieves vs. Medjed. So I was drinking too much at home and wanted to take a break at least." Well, Ohya-san was sincere because of how difficult it was for her on the last couple of weeks.

"Ah yes, that's been on the news lately. There is still something I don't understand what Medjed really do." Lala-chan commented about the conflict we had with them at the moment. I didn't like to talk about this with other people, but it was unavoidable wherever I go.

"Oh, that? I think it is not that important…"

"It is!" Ohya-san interrupted me. "You know what it means? This means big news since two unknown groups are going against each other!" She sounded way excited for something that is pretty much is a whole nation and reputation on our shoulders. "So tell me, what do you think about it?"

"Me? The most I can say is stupid from Medjed."

"Why though?"

"People didn't care about them or else since they minded their own business. Now that the Phantom Thieves gained popularity lately, Medjed declared war out of jealousy." I hated those hypocrites, no matter from what angle I have to explain about it.

"You really have a biased opinion about them. Are you a Phan-boy too?" The only thing I didn't want to hear from that reporter.

"Not by much… It just baffles me how they wanted attention now after so long."

"I know right? They started to become more active since they Phantom Thieves gained victories on a short amount of time. It is suspicious if you ask me." Everything was always suspicious for you, Ohya-san.

"How knows? The only thing we can do is wait how it develops." Or in my case, wait for Akira's orders to start helping Futaba, so she can help us to deal with those suckers. I began to feel anxious about how much precious time we were wasting. From one hand, it was okay since I could focus on work, but by the other side, I didn't want to procrastinate with that kind of issues later. The sooner we were done with the Palace, the better I could sleep knowing there we were done.

I kept working for my usual hours since hearing Ohya-san complaining about her boss became dull and boring. I was in automatic mode while cleaning and picking up glasses from other clients. My phone was constantly ringing to the point of driving me insane. When I was done, I checked who sent me so many messages during my working hours. It was Sakamoto sending me in a non-stop way. I got 20 messages in a span of 2 minutes.

I hated when people send messages between words and not full sentences.

 **Katsuo:** What the hell you want? I'm working.

 **Ryuji:** Sorry man this is just an emergency.

 **Katsuo:** What kind of emergency?

 **Ryuji:** Well…

 **Ryuji:** Let's say I missed my train on the way back home.

 **Katsuo:** Yeah, so?

 **Ryuji:** Could you give me a ride or something?

 **Katsuo:** …

 **Katsuo:** You must be joking, right?

From all things, all day and in this fucking reality, I have to take him back home like a little kid.

 **Ryuji:** Come on! You know how much help I need since you are the only one with a vehicle and I don't even have enough for a taxi!

 **Katsuo:** Just tell me one thing. How did you miss your train?

 **Ryuji:** That is not important. I just need a way to get back home.

 **Katsuo:** Grrrr…you owe me one, understood?

 **Ryuji:** Thank you Big Bro!

 **Katsuo:** Call me Big Bro again, and I will throw you on the next trash can I see. Tell me where you are.

 **Ryuji:** I'm in Yonge-Jaya, close where Akira lives.

 **Katsuo:** I know exactly where, just stay there alright?

Just like that, I was annoyed to go and help that punk. "Sorry Lala-chan, but I must leave earlier than usual."

"And why that urgency to leave, dear boy?" She asked me with concerned.

"I got my friend stuck in one place and didn't have transport. So I'm the one helping him for the moment."

"That is such a sweet gesture of you to help others, be careful out there." If only Lala-chan could know what kind of friends I have.

"I'll do. See you next time." I said it while taking my helmet and heading straight to pick up that loud punk who was being stranded far from home. Then again, I don't want to be an asshole since I could be in the same situation if I didn't have a bike back then. The most I could do was asking again why he missed his train. I was getting closer to the area until I saw him waiting in front of a clinic while holding a plastic bag.

"Yo!" He greeted me while raising a hand.

"Hey, could you tell me what happened?" I asked him.

"Well, I was eating ramen with Akira after training for hours, and on the last minute I got a call from my mother that she was feeling sick."

"Is she alright?"

"Not really since I couldn't get the medicine from there, so Akira told me to buy some here." He pointed out the neighborhood's clinic.

"I see, so you got enough medicine?"

"Yeah but I only wished I could have enough money for the bus or else at least." He looked like he got some regret of calling me. "I didn't want you to bother while working."

"Nah, if it is to help your mother I wouldn't mind. Now we may have to break some traffic rules since I don't have a spare helmet. I will have to avoid the fuzz in the meanwhile."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to get you in trouble just for that."

"What? Are you chicken out already? Come on there is no time to waste. To make one thing clear, I'm only making an exception with you about touching my bike, so don't make me regret it." Sakamoto nodded as we went through Tokyo while evading traffic officers. It was a real pain in the ass as he was sitting behind me. I'm sure it would be the same problem when I start teaching Makoto how to ride. We were going pretty slowly due to the additional weight of another person. That was the worst, seriously why I kept accepting favors from everyone?

"Hey be careful with the bumps!" Sakamoto yelled to my ear as the road was becoming unsteady.

"Don't tell me what to do; I'm risking my neck for you right now!" I replied.

"Couldn't get any faster?"

"Stop whining like a bitch and let me focus on the road..."

"WOAH! I almost fell from the bike for being reckless!"

"Do you want me to go faster or slower? Make up your goddamn mind already!"

After going through the worst time of my life, we finally arrived at his home. He lived in a small apartment with his mother. I wondered about what happened to his father. I waited outside while he gave the medicine to her. The neighborhood looked rather quiet, too quiet to be honest. That made me kind of paranoia. I just felt déjà vu for some reason.

"Yo…" Sakamoto came outside and greeted me.

"Hey, how's your mother?"

"She will be fine, just restin' on her bed after givin' her the medicine. Those things are rather potent."

"I know, hard to believe are home-made from your local black alley doctor."

"It really saved our asses so many times before, good thing we helped her out from that shitty doctor from Mementos."

"Yeah, we did it…" I was getting lost on my thoughts for a moment. The silence felt awkward as it was just me and the punk sitting outside of the house like old people. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Mhh? Sure go ahead." Sakamoto replied.

"I know this might sound personal, but where is your father?"

"Oh, him…" He fell in silence for a moment. "He left us when we were young long time ago."

"I see…sorry for the asking."

"Nah it is fine. I don't really care about him anyways."

"Are you sure? Did it never bother you before or something?"

"Maybe a couple of times during middle-school, but I stopped minding about him since I tried to help mom around. I still do not forgive him for leaving us, but that shouldn't affect me for who I am right now." Sakamoto's words felt mature than usual, and it surprised me that a loud punk like him really got enough courage to no caring about past issues.

"That sounds, rather understandable for you. I guess you can't always forgive people for their actions, family or not."

"Why askin' though? You looked like somethin' was botherin' you when we arrived here."

"I'm fine, don't worry about me."

"Hey I'm not that dense, y'know? Your eyes dilated when I told you about my dad. You got some issues about it?" Did Sakamoto became more perceptive, or I became more obvious?

"It's…more complicated than that. You know that my old man is pretty much the big fish of the criminal underworld. I never felt proud of myself about it since I got nothing but shame. You and the others know that I can't escape that kind of life no matter where I go. I got into a lot of fights when I was younger, thinking that I could take that frustration out for being the son of a criminal boss. It wasn't enough, and living honestly didn't work out either. I'm just trapped between being a civilian, and a criminal. How you can live fine by that?"

"That's simple. We are not criminals at all."

"Bullshit, isn't what Phantom Thieves are supposed to be?"

"Criminals ruin the lives of others. A Phantom Thief tries to help them. In a way, we are more like heroes for the one who can't stand for themselves."

"Well, I can't consider myself a hero either."

"You don't like to be a hero or more like you are afraid of being one?" Ouch.

"Heh, maybe afraid…" Well, he was right quite shocking. "Dammit, this is what happens when I hang out with you."

"You know I'm always here when you have problems."

"Oh sorry Akira, I didn't know you were here."

"Hehe, I guess he did some influence on me earlier after we talked. I finally _understood_ after he helped to solve my problem with the track team."

"Oh, what happened?"

"They are finally back together after so long, but I refused to join them again since you guys are much more important for me." He sounded cheerful and more secure of himself.

"That's good to hear. You are following your own passion."

"' _Don't think, feel._ ' That's a great line after watching that Kung-Fu movie."

"I hope you don't start imitating such moves. I got already enough with Miss Perfect on our team by making karate moves." I replied in a joking manner since I started to feel better after talking with someone.

"Speaking of it, what's the deal between you and Miss President.?"

"What's the deal between you and Blondie?"

"Touché…" We laugh at each other. Despite I hated that statement about Makoto and me.

"Well, I think it's already late, I have to rest for tomorrow work or in case we finally get to the Palace. Could you say hello to your mother for me?"

"Sure thing, be careful on your way back home Big Bro." And he did it again.

"*Sigh* you see this?" I was touching my index finger with my thumb, forming a zero. "You were this close, so close to almost make me start calling you for your name."

"Well excuse me for ruining the moment, since when you become such dramatic?"

"Since the moment I met you, numbskull."

"Take care, dick." We said goodbye to each other on a friendly way as he was getting inside while I was riding my back. It felt jealous of Sakamoto and Yusuke; they kept moving on despite their troubled pasts. As they mentioned, Akira helped them to mature and become better as people. I hoped he could help me no longer being afraid of myself.

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 **Comments, opinions, feel free of you have something to say about the chapter.**


	22. Thieves of the Lost NEET

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.  
**

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 **Akira** : Everyone, to LeBlanc now!

I got the message earlier in the morning; it was pretty clear what the deal was. I grabbed everything necessary, including a massive bottle of water and sunscreen. I refused to go back at that Palace without some of that, and it will be a long day for us, no breaks or pause, we are going to finish that place in one go. I went to the hideout the fastest I could, and everyone was already on the attic minding their own business. The only person missing was Sakamoto, as always.

"There you are…" Akira greeted me when I walked upstairs. "... You came just in time."

"What took you so long? I started to think that you forgot about our dilemma with Medjed." I replied on my sarcastic tone.

"Sorry, but I had to make a lot of preparations before starting with the Palace." The leader started to grab some boxes where our equipment was stored. He showed my shotgun on the table. "I asked Iwai to make some modification. I'm sure it will help you to kill some Shadows a lot faster."

"Hey thanks, I guess the wait was worthwhile." I said while examining my upgraded shotgun, ' _Lupara Mk II._ ' I was wondering what would make it different than before. "What else got you busy?"

"You will see once we get to there." He got his trademark smirk, waiting for some surprises. We started to hear someone else coming from downstairs.

"Sorry for the wait. I got stuck in of the trains." The punk finally arrived, huzza!

"Is everyone ready? Good because this is going to be different than other times." Morgana jumped on top of the table with everyone around. "We are not here to steal a criminal's heart; we are here to save someone's life. As you saw there from last time, we are not going to expect a warm welcome. And as she knows we are going to steal her Treasure, it is going to be most likely to be on alert."

"I'm really afraid that we are going to cause some sort of damage on her if we make a mistake." Ann commented with a long face.

"That's not going to happen, as long we keep doing everything as always it is less likely to hurt her, either mentally or emotionally."

"I'll make sure we don't screw up, for Futaba's sake." Everyone nodded at what I said. Akira grabbed his phone to use the App.

" _Starting Navigation"_ We go transported back to that damn desert. Unlike last time, we were at least closer to the pyramid, but we still need Mona to get there. The bad thing was we were still considered as threat, so we were wearing our Metaverse outfits. We were dying of heat since most of us got black clothes with leather. Queen and Panther got the worse since their outfits were tight.

"Goddamn, this still hot!" Skull yelled as he tried to get some fresh air.

"Well, what else did you expected!? This is why brought this with me." I showed a cooler as I was carrying it from my back.

"We are not here for a picnic!"

"I know that, idiot. Keep questioning me and you won't get water."

"Alright enough you two, let's just get to the pyramid." Queen interrupted us while Joker was a head of us. We got inside the pyramid, still fresh and cold, and jumped between pillars to cross to the other side of the room. There was still the same door blocking our direct route to the Treasure.

"So it still won't open. We might just have to give up on it." Mona commented with everyone standing in front of it.

I tried to make some little knocks on it to see if there was some secret button or something. No luck though as that thing was definitely impenetrable. "I guess we can't say anything about this thing. Any ideas?"

"No point sittin' around though. Whaddaya wanna do, Joker?" Skull asked to our leader.

"Look for another entrance, if there is one anyways."

"Not a bad idea. Considering how humongous this building is, there have to be other ways in." Mona's explanation made sense since all pyramids must have one.

"We will have to investigate every suspicious place we see, both inside the pyramid and out."

"Do we have to go outside, Fox?" I didn't like the idea of leaving the pyramid.

"Ugh, outside…!? You mean we gotta deal with that heat!?" Skull and I agreed on something at least.

"No complaining. Let's begin our investigation right away." Queen ordered us like always. We decided to go back to the entrance and find clues of how to get through that giant door or another way around. The moment we reached the entrance, we heard a voice.

"Are you leaving?" We turned our back to see who was talking, was Futaba's Shadow. "Come back here. Let's talk for a moment."

"Now that's odd." I whispered to the others.

"Let's just do what she says, for now at least." Joker went back to the room to listen to what the ruler wanted to talk about. She was standing there like nothing. It felt weird that a Shadow didn't behave hostile towards us.

"Welcome back. I had thought I would never see you again." She said in a creepy monotone voice.

"We're only here 'cause we gotta be! I can't believe you tried to drop a boulder on us! You want us to steal your goddamn Treasure or not?" Skull couldn't shut his mouth for a second, true she tried to kill us but we were in her domain, so any wrong move could be the end for us.

"Hm, why don't we make a deal? You wish to proceed further, yes?"

"A deal, you say?" Fox was curious about the ruler's offer.

"There is a town nearby. I would like you to take back that which the bandit there stole from me."

"Oh yeah, I think I remember seeing a town on the way here." Panther commented about it.

"If you bring what was stolen back to me, I will give you a reward. I'll even tell you how to proceed." That sounded rather too convenient for us.

"Can't you tell us any more details? Anything about this bandit, or what was stolen?"

"You'll learn all the information you need to know once you arrive." The Shadow refused to answer Queen's question. Of course, nothing can be that easy for us.

"…We'll need to head outside if we want to go to the town. We can go when you're ready, Joker."

"Hey, can you go to the town while I wait here inside, just in case?"

"Nope." Joker rejected my request, much to my dismay. We left the pyramid, back to that damn weather.

"So, how're we supposed to get to this town?" Skull asked for everyone.

"She said it's nearby…We could probably see it from here, right?"

"Good point, Panther. Let us observe the surroundings and search for any town that may lie about here." I guess we didn't have any more options anyways, Fox. We walked around the area to get some clue if there was a town nearby. Even from the pyramid, we couldn't get a good view from said town. When we stood on a platform, we noticed something.

"Hey, isn't a town off in the distance?" We tried to focus our sight to the direction where Panther was pointing out.

"Are sure that isn't a mirage?" I asked since it was hard to believe for me.

"Yes, I can see what appear to be buildings over there." Fox confirmed its existence.

"Want to head over to the town, Joker? It's pretty far away, so this is my chance to shine!" Being a show off as always, eh Mona?

"Let's go." As soon Joker gave the order, Mona changed form and went to the town. It wasn't far from the pyramid, so there wasn't much to worry about. The town looked pretty old as the movies about treasure hunters.

"We've arrived. This has to be the town Futaba's Shadow mentioned."

"It looks quite desolate… She said only bandits reside here, but still."

"I understand the feeling, Fox. This place makes me uneasy as well." I commented while looking around. The place felt empty for some, as there wasn't a single Shadow or bandit. We went around circles but we couldn't find anything. No matter how peaceful it was, I didn't like it. After getting to the center of the place, it was a dead end for us.

"I have to say, the mood of this town of definitely strange. I can't sense anyone around." Mona felt the same thing as me.

"I think we should go back and…"

"Hey, guys. You lookin' for something?" Joker got interrupted by someone else's voice. We turned out heads to notice there was someone behind us. "Heh, I thought I heard someone rustlin' around out here… and here y'all are. Welcome to the desert, fellow trader."

"Hm? What does he mean by 'trader'?" Isn't that obvious, Fox?

"We don't care about your welcomes. You're a bandit, right? Just cough up the thing you stole." Skull, you are a dumbass.

"Ha! Well ain't this interestin'. A group of criminals comin' after a fellow trader… Well, you're gonna have to catch me if you want it." The bandit ran away from us, all thanks to that numbskull.

"Wait…! Ughhh, you just had to scare him off, Skull!" Panther complained to the punk.

"Me!?"

"Yes you, if you only could shut your mouth for a second, we could get a smarter approach to get the stolen object." I was pretty upset about his actions. Why couldn't we get a more comfortable time?

"Hey if you are so mad for not talking, why don't you do somethin' about it, huh?"

"Alright that's enough; we'll have time to talk later. Let's get after him." Queen got between our arguments to focus back on the bandit. We started to chase him down around the town but taunted us as we run in circles. Between streets and some tight alleyways, the bandit was way too fast for us. It started to feel annoying. No matter where we go, he kept running away from us making us going in circles.

"Hahaha, you tired already? What a bunch of losers… Grave-robbing is a game of stamina, y'know?" I started to hate that guy, just like everyone else.

"Urghhh, he got away again! This is really pissing me off!" Panther wasn't on the best mood.

"We'll never catch him if we do nothing but follow his path… We should corner him somewhere."

"Corner him? But how?" Fox asked Queen about the idea, isn't that simple?

"Let's use that square from earlier. We can sneak around and trap him there!"

"In that case, let me chase him down while you go around and cut his exits." Everyone nodded as I kept chasing the bandit like always. As he was running away, Skull blocked the way to the main street, leaving the small alleyway. Fox blocked the main street again, and Panther blocked the stairways. I made him running in circles as Joker and Queen appeared in front of him, forcing him to go to the appointed area.

"There he goes…! We finally chased him into the square!"

"Perfect. He had nowhere else to run now… Let's do this, Joker!" Our leader advanced after Queen was done talking. He started to approach him slowly; hoping things don't get any more complicated than before.

"Yo, bandit! What's the matter? Not runnin' anymore?"

"Tch… Don't even think about comin' one step closer." He was getting more hostile as we beat him on his own game.

"Give us what you stole." Joker was the one negotiating with him.

"Heh, don't be ridiculous. You've gotta let me go. I mean you guys came to raid that tomb too, right? Why don't we work together and share the plunder?"

"We got enough of your tricks! Can we do this on the easy and nice way? Or do you prefer the harsh and painful way?" I tried to threating him, like hell we would cooperate with him.

"Don't talk to us like we're the same as you! We came here to save Futaba-chan. Now give us back what you stole!" Panther got already tired of the bandit as well.

"So you wanna do this no matter what, huh? Well in that case… I guess I don't have a choice!" The bandit transformed into a huge bird, no longer wanting to negotiate with us.

"I guess it is going to be on the hard way. Fine by me, all this heat started to make me irritated anyways." Everyone was getting ready to fight him, with him making the first move.

"Magarudyne!" The Raging Bird God launched wind at us; everyone suffered massive damage with the Skill getting knocked out while Mona and Fox didn't even flinch. "Ominous Words!" He cast some spell that made me feel a little depressed.

"This is useless…" I didn't feel like my usual self, almost like I was driven by fear and sadness.

"Energy Shower!" Queen acted quickly and cured me of that ailment. "Are you alright?"

"What the hell was that spell? I never felt so depressed since high school!" I stood on my feet while trying to shoot at him with my gun, but that Shadow was moving way too fast for us.

"Let me handle him." Joker was preparing his Persona, with a mischievous smirk on his face. "Go, David!" He summoned one that we didn't saw before; it was a skeleton with pink clothes while playing the violin. He looked goofy, to be honest. "Sukunda!"

The Shadow was losing speed, but sadly he was way out of our reach. "Brain Shake!" Its attack hit Mona, and he was looking weird.

"Mreeeeow…" He started to attack against us for no reason. He began to shoot at us with his slingshot, making us take cover.

"This isn't good. He is affected with Brainwash!" Queen tried to analyze him while looking at his behavior, just more bad news for us.

"Well, I guess there is one way to snap him out of it." Everyone started to look at Panther. She didn't object about making that cat going back to his senses while we were still on our cover.

"Easy Mona, it's me Panther." She approached him like he was a stray cat. "Put that weapon down please?" Mona leaped towards her started to scratch her with his paws. She got angry because the cat left scars on…*ahem*… her bust. "Oh, you little…!" Panther was furious that slapped him on the head that made him fall unconscious. "Sorry!"

"Well, that's one way to stop him…" I commented while we looked at each other with fear. We focused on the Shadow by shooting at the air as it was flying around. He tried to use Garu spells, but we were avoiding them pretty quickly.

"Arsene, Snap!" Joker used his Persona to stop our enemy from the air. The attack knocked down the Shadow. "Baton Pass!" He changed places with Fox, as they looked at each other with confidence.

"Allow me to end this…Go, Kamu Susano-o!" This caught me off guard. That wasn't Goemon. "Rising Slash!" His new Persona swung his colossal sword with all his might, killing the Shadow instantly with a critical/buffed attack. I had to admit it. It was cool.

After the battle, everyone tried to wake up Skull and Mona. "Mhhh…w-what happened? We won?"

"Yep, we won Skull, and he dropped something." I tried to lift him while I was holding the Stolen Papyrus.

"Owww, what happened to me, why my head hurts…?" Mona didn't remember anything about moments ago. "Panther, what happened to you?"

"Ask yourself…" She was really mad at him; it took a few seconds until he realized something.

"Oh crap, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do it!"

"Alright I know it wasn't your fault. Buuuuut I think Joker should get you to cut those claws."

"No please." It seems Mona doesn't like to get 'pawdicure' after all.

"Enough fooling around, do anyone knows what this thing says? I don't know Egyptian." I showed Mona the object.

"Is this… some kind of papyrus parchment? It looks like there's something written inside."

"Hey, no peeking at a girl's belongings without her permission!" Panther commented.

"Y'know, just what the hell's happenin' in her heart?" Skull made an interesting question. "There's this bandit, those weird voices sayin' 'you killed her,' and who knows what else… It's a total effin' mess."

"Futaba's supposed to be the queen of this Palace, but even she can't control it?"

"I don't know, Panther…I've never seen a case like this…" Mona looked worried, as we couldn't get any answers about it.

"Regardless, we have no more business in this town. Shall we head back, Joker?" Fox asked to out leader. He nodded in return. Everyone started walking around the town, but I was left behind for a couple of seconds, thinking. Queen looked at me as she noticed something was bothering me.

"Do you think… she really did it?" I asked while feeling uncomfortable.

"Doing what…?" Queen replied.

"Futaba killing her mom, do you think she was capable of doing such thing?"

"That's something we are not so sure about it, but I don't think she did it."

"How can be so sure? I'm afraid that her guilt will consume her mind and soul. It's almost like… never mind, I'm thinking way too much." I tried to look straight as nothing bad was with me, but Queen wasn't convinced enough. "Let's keep going." We walked until we got to the town's exit, where the pyramid was.

"Sweet, we did what we had to do. Let's start headin' back to the pyramid." Skull commend while we looked at the pyramid from a far distance.

"Let's go back." Mona transformed after Joker gave the order. It took us a couple of minutes to reach or destination. Damn, the sun was still killing me.

"Well, what now?" Skull asked.

"We've completed Futaba-chan's request. Let's go see her again."

"Sounds good, Queen. I'm curious about that reward too!"

"I'm not…" I replied to Mona in my worst mood. We walked all the way back to the pyramid, nothing out of usual and Shadow Futaba was still waiting in the middle of the room. At least things didn't look that bad for us at the moment.

"We're back. This is the thing you said they stole, right?" Skull showed the object to the ruler.

"Well done. It is yours now."

"Wait, what…? Didn't you want us to get it back because it's important?" Panther was pretty confused about what the Shadow told us.

"That is a map of the tomb, stolen by the bandit to aid in his ransacking of this place." She opened the papyrus, showing us that it was indeed a map, neat.

"Why are you letting them just do whatever they want? This is your Palace, isn't it?" Queen was curious about the odd behavior about the Shadows from this place. I didn't think about it.

"All that matters is that the map is now yours. Just come further in and…Oh." The pyramid did shake for a brief moment.

"What in the…?" Before Fox could say anything, the ruler disappeared in thin air.

"Huh? Futaba-chan disa…"

A trap door opened beneath us, falling into the darkness. "Goddammiiiiiiiiiit!" Skull and I yelled in unison.

* * *

Typical, why there's always trap doors in pyramids? I knew that was way too easy for us. The hole was way too dark. Everyone was terrified for the fall. We stop screaming when we touched what was supposed to be safe ground, but it was still way too damn dark to know.

"Owww, what happened? Did Futaba-chan trick us again?" I heard Panther.

"Mreoooooow! Who is stepping on my tail…!?" That was definitely Mona.

"My apologies..." Fox was there too.

"The hell man…? I can't see." Skull spoke too.

"WHERE ARE WE!? WHY IS EVERYTHING SO DARK!? PLEASE, SOMEONE, DO SOMETHING!" Well, at least we know Queen was with us, composed as always.

"Everyone calm down." I heard the leader's voice, and everyone felt less agitated than before.

"Thank you, Joker, one of the things I hate the most is too much noise in dark places." I tried to get on my feet, but with this darkness, we couldn't see jack shit where we were. "Fucking hell, this is the second time we fell for another cliché trap in this goddamn place."

"So what happened? Why Futaba would trick us after helping her?"

"I don't know, but we can ask her ourselves after we are done of getting out of here. Skull, Panther, could give us some light?"

"Sure thing Joker, give us a moment." We waited to let them use their Personas, but nothing happened for a whole minute.

"Any time, guys." I commented as to how desperate I was getting at. "What's the hold up with you two?"

"Well, how do we explain…?" Skull was hesitating to answer us.

"We can't use our Personas." Panther replied, leaving everyone in shock.

"What do you mean you can't use them!?" Queen asked in a somewhat scary tone.

"It's like; something doesn't let us use them."

"Then what are we going to do!? We are trapped! We must find a way to out and…!"

"Calm down, Queen. I know we are having a problem, but we can solve this if…"

"Calm down!? How I can calm down when we can't see! We are going to die!"

"Shut the hell up!" I yelled at her. "Sorry, but we can't lose our shit right now."

"Sorry…" She apologized, as it was like the night at Boss' house.

"By the way, it's you the one holding my arm?" I was feeling a firm grip from my left arm. I knew it was Queen because I was got some spikes touching my shoulder.

"Well, I guess your knight in shiny armor is on your side. Don't you think, Faust?" Panther was chuckling while I frowned.

"Shut it, blondie…" I sighed. "I think I got something to give us some light." I tried to look in my pockets, hoping I didn't forget it this time. "Got it…!" I found my old lighter, as I illuminated the room by extending my arm on the center. We were inside of a box as space felt tight for us.

"What is this thing?" Mona asked as we saw the walls and ground having some green lines on them.

"I don't know, but I can assume this place is why doesn't let us use our Personas." Joker commented as he tried to summon any of his, with no results.

"So how do we get out of here? There must be a button or something?" Skull tried to move around, but he couldn't.

"Hey, Faust… Why do you have a lighter with you? Are you a smoking person?" Queen looked at me with some interrogation glare.

"I think it is not the time to ask that, Queen. More importantly, Skull is right, this kind of traps always have an emergency button or else like the movies. Do any of you ever watch an _Illinois James_ movie before?"

"Nope"

"Nah-huh"

"Sorry…"

"Who?"

"Well, this is great." I rubbed my eyes while thinking, much to my dismay.

"What do we do, Joker?" Mona asked our leader, hoping he might have an idea.

"I don't know, but I'm sure Faust may know since he knows this kind of stuff."

"You want to pass the bucket, huh? Well, the most I can tell you is, do not touch the walls. I don't want to activate another trap or else." Everyone gathered around to the center, with me holding the lighter even higher to illuminate the room.

"Well, what's next?" Fox asked me, with everyone looking at me for instructions.

"I guess we can try to see around and look for something out of place." We focused our sights on everything, but couldn't pin-point something.

"Are you sure of what are you doing?" Panther started to doubt about me.

"Hey, you are the one who makes me do the orders…huh, look!" I pointed out to a wall. Everyone noticed the same thing.

"Interesting… there some Medjed symbols." Queen looked carefully at the wall.

"Medjed? Like those hypocrites or the god?" I asked.

"Those people, it is the same symbol they got on their website."

"Why she has those here? Do you think she had some relation between her and Medjed?"

"All we can know is they are rivals. That's all we can say for sure."

"Whatever is, we must find a way to… *Click* uh-oh…"

"What do you mean by 'uh-oh,' Skull?" I made a glare at him like he did something terrible.

"How should I know!? I just tried to stretch my leg, and then I heard somethin'."

"You stepped on something, did you?" Panther wasn't so happy about it either.

"It was accidental, alright!? This place is crammed anyways!"

"I hope that is the case…" The place box started to agitate, as we heard some chains being detached. Everything fell in silence for a moment as we tried not to move. "…oh crap." The box got destroyed, making us fall once again.

"Shiiiiiiiit!" That punk screamed as we were falling into something.

"Ngh is this…"

"Quicksand! Everyone, swim with all your might!" We did what that cat said. Everyone swam in different directions as we tried to get out of that pool. Seriously, the pyramid got nothing but more cliché traps. As we finally reached the ground, we got separated into two groups on opposite sides of the room.

"…Hey, you guys still alive?"

"No thanks to you, numbskull." I yelled from the other side, as I ended with Fox and Mona.

"Oww… First a boulder, then a box, now this…? Did we piss her odd somehow?" Panther was at her limit, just like myself.

"I don't think it has anything to do with us angering her…"

"Then what is it then?" I asked the cat, almost losing my patience after this bullshit.

"I suspect the problem is that she can't control her instinct to push people away from her."

"A simple defense mechanism… Considering what she's been through, I don't blame her for mistrusting others." Queen explained.

"I know that feeling…" I mumbled.

"Joker, let's save her! We've gotta help Futaba-chan open that door to her heart!"

"Of course, Panther."

"I have no objections, but we should worry about ourselves first and foremost." Mona was getting serious. "Come on; let's reunite and look for a way back above ground. Otherwise, this place is going to end up our tomb too." We nodded, as we started to move on.

The road back to the outside wouldn't be an easy task for us, but we had to survive until we get to the Treasure. That place, where a girl was hiding with shame on herself, I couldn't let another orphan die on me. I wouldn't stop until we could save her. Sakura Futaba, I gave my word to save you no matter what, because I know you are not like me.

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 **Comments? Opinions? Feel free to leave one.**


	23. The Pyramid of Despair

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

 **Warning: This chapter doesn't contain sadistic monochromatic bears.**

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"Out of my way, fucking freaks!" Fox, Mona and I were fighting while trying to climb in the same room where we landed on the quicksand. The others were struggling as well on the other side. It was weird because we were fighting mummies, which it was creepy the way those things moved.

"Mamudo!" I used the new skill that Hannibal learned after fighting those new enemies. Most of those enemies were weak to either ice or wind, which it was easy for my group but not so much for Joker's group since he was the only one being able to use those elements.

"Magaru!" Mona fought some Cavern Snakemen were blocking our path. That place was huge, and we didn't even explore the whole damn pyramid yet.

"Vicious Strike!" Fox's new Persona was pretty useful for us since he looked stronger, but there's something oddly familiar about him.

"Hey, can we take a break? I'm getting tired of climbing this place." I said while trying to catch my breath.

"Sure thing, I don't think the others are in the mood to continue either." Mona said as we saw Joker, Skull, Panther, and Queen were sitting for a moment.

"I suppose I can my time to capture the room's interior." Fox pulled out some paper and brushes.

"Do you think it is a good time to paint something right now?"

"Why not? Going to Mementos is what helped me to finish my latest piece." One he got something in his mind, I couldn't stop him until he's done.

"Suit yourself then…" I grabbed the cooler from my back to grab some drinks. I remembered that everyone else must feel thirsty. "Hey! Do you want some drinks too!?" I yelled to the other group as they were a couple of floors below us.

"Sure drop them to us!" Joker replied as I grabbed water bottles and let them fall from a long distance. They caught them all, and we got a moment to see our surroundings, too bad still didn't get a safe room yet. The much we fought, the more I realized something odd about Fox's new Persona.

"Hey, Fox, what happened to Goemon?"

"I don't have an idea, to be honest. **Kamu Susano-o** appeared to me today."

"Mona, you know more about this stuff. Do you know why he got a different Persona?" I asked.

"That's actually new to me as well. So far I could tell that Joker is the only one to change different ones, but we can't."

"But the thing is, I can still _feel_ Goemon, but now stronger than before." Fox's idea made sense, but it still doesn't explain how or when he was able to change it.

"Your Persona sounds awfully familiar." I was trying to recall from where I heard that name before.

"He is one of the oldest deities from Japan. He is The God of Storms." Fox told me about him, and I finally got the idea.

"Oh that's right; I used to read a lot of them from my books. So what, that makes you a god as well?"

"I don't I could ever reach that kind of status, but I definitely feel much powerful physically and emotionally." That's a downer, but I guess it was good for him.

"Do you think I will able to get one too?" Mona sounded excited by that idea. "You say you can still feel your previous Persona, right? The most logical explanation would that he _evolved_ with the possibility of changing attributes."

"Now that you mention it, I'm stronger against wind spells, and immune to ice. So evolving sounds rather fitting." Fox chuckled for a moment.

"I think we got enough chat, let's continue." Mona ordered us around, that's what happens when you got a cat like him as second in command.

Evolving a Persona, huh? That's interesting as it is the power from the heart. I wondered what made him change him. I guess he put his shit together or something. In a way, I felt proud that he looked much mature than before. Mona made a good question earlier, that if it is possible for everyone else doing the same too.

To be frank, I'm not so sure if I can do that as well. I felt…powerless somehow. I couldn't know why but I felt that I'm unable to change. Maybe there are some facts that you can't avoid about yourself.

We kept fighting on our way until finally we got reunited with everyone else on the door. As we went through the door, we saw a light from a distance. "Hey… Ain't that light the exit!? I'm kinda surprised how close it ended up bein'!" Skull noticed too. I could feel the freedom.

"Thank god we can finally get out of here. This was all around a horrible experience." The cat sighed.

"Oh don't be so moody, Mona, we can at least leave this place and plan our next move." Joker tried to light his mood. He felt reassured like everyone else. I never thought that I could ever want to go outside despite the horrible environment.

Of course, the freedom it's never that easy. We got some dog guards roaming around. Joker sneaked and took out its mask, revealing its true form. It was a Chanting Baboon. "What the… isn't the same form as that shitty doctor from Mementos?" I asked while Queen analyzed the Shadow.

"Yes it is the same, but much weaker. Be cautious though…"

"Don't worry. I won't lower my guard that easy again." I hold my mask while summoning my Persona. "Terror Claw!" Hannibal did a considerable swing as it inflicted fear on the Shadow.

"My turn…Go, David!" Joker used Psio on the Shadow, knocking it down. "Hold Up!" We were surrounding it with our guns, but it wasn't worth the damn to assault him with an All-Out Attack. "Give me your wallet."

"Please don't hurt me." The Shadow was still under the effect of fear.

"I guess we can't negotiate with it until he returns to normal." Mona explained while waiting to stop being afraid of us.

"Ah, so what do you want?" The Shadow got normal, Joker tried to request money again. "Huh? I was part of you once. Can't we talk about it again?"

"Sorry, can't do."

"Mhhh…fine I guess if this is what you want." It dropped 3,748 yens and left us in peace. That felt rather boring that he couldn't continue, but I guess it was for the best for us.

"Another victory, eh Joker?" We continued moving forward. The more we were getting closer to the exit. More enemies were patrolling on the hallways. We tried to avoid most of them until we found a bigger one behind some pillars. "Let's not bother with him yet, let's just get to the exit." I was agreed with the cat, better prepared first before starting to fight that thing.

We finally reached the exit and left the place from the back door. "We made it out! Damn it's hot though. My ass is all sweaty…"

"Yeah, I don't want to know the rest." I made one of my famous lines with my usual tone.

"At least we have secured our escape route. We can finally go about exploring this place now."

"Let's use this as our entrance from here forward. It should be more stable than the front." I don't Queen, teleporting sounded more efficient than using the backdoor anyway. We formed a circle to make our next move.

"So, what do we do to the big guy from before?" I asked them, since I got a bad feeling about it.

"We are not sure, but won't know until we face him directly." Skull sounded so relaxed, as he got something on his sleeves.

"Planning is always important. Don't get too confident about it, Skull." Queen sounded really serious, and I couldn't blame her too.

"I know that, just sayin' that today I'm feelin' pumped for some reason."

"If that's the case, take the front line for now." Joker formed the team. I got for back up just in case. I didn't mind though since I wasn't much in the mood to fight at the moment. Only me, Queen and Panther were behind if things would go wrong. We came back to the underground chamber and got ready to confront that Mummy.

He was standing there like he doesn't care. "Look how tranquil it is. It appears to be different from the Shadows we've encountered prior."

"Heh, you don't gotta freak out about it, Fox! Let's beat its ass!" Just don't screw this up, Skull.

"Here we go." Joker ordered to charge against it.

"Brace yourselves. This is no normal enemy!" Mona warned us before we could approach it for the fight.

"…FOOLISH CRAVE ROBBERS. YOU HAVE ENRAGED THE GUARDIAN OF THIS PLACE. HENCE, THERE SHALL BE NO PATH FORWARD FOR YOU. IT IS TIME YOU PERISH!" It transformed into a Coffin-borne God. We got into our positions and prepared to take it down. I guess there's no break for me as it would attack anyone.

"Rakunda!" I made the first move just to give everyone the honor to beat the crap out of it.

"TRAPPED RAT!" A creepy hand came out of the coffin, doing a weird spell on me.

"Squeeeeeeeak!(Translation: Fuuuuuuuuuck)" That motherfucking Shadow transformed me into a mouse, making me absolutely useless.

"This is not good. Watch out everyone with that attack!" Queen warned us while I had to hide behind her until the effect goes away. "Freila!" She attacked while moving away from its sight.

"COME, MY SERVANT." The Shadow called reinforcements. It was a Slithering Snakewoman.

"Agilao!" The minion attacked Fox, but he evaded it with ease.

"Foolish Shadow, Bufula!" Our good old artist knocked down that snake, giving us another move. "Mona!" He initiated Baton Pass with Whiskers.

"Alright then, Garula!" Mona used on the big one, making it kiss the floor too.

"Me, me, me!" Skull was asking to make a Baton Pass chain too. Mona rolled his eyes, but he complied without any issue. Skull felt more power due to the chain-link.

"Time to bust some moves, c'mere Seiten…TAISEI!" What the hell, the punk too!? "SWIFT STRIKE!" That attack killed the minion while doing massive damage to the Shadows. We were not done yet. "Crap, that thing is resilient as hell!"

"Then keep kicking his ass!" I yelled despite still being in mouse form.

"What the…you can talk?" Panther was surprised of hearing me.

"Of course I do. I think it is not so different from what Mona can do in the real world." I kept talking while Queen carried me on her hands.

"MEGIDO!" It cast energy spheres that did a lot of damage to everyone. Queen tried to cover me while withstanding the blow for me. Things started to look bad for us.

"Garula!" Joker used Matador to stop the Shadow again. "Fox!" They switched place as he was preparing for another attack.

"Rising Slash!" That did significant damage, but that thing was too strong even for its weakness.

"This is not enough; it won't give up that easily, Panther!" Queen ordered to the blonde. She nodded back as they knew what to do.

"Carmen! Tarunda!" The Shadow's attack should be weaker for the moment. That Megido is so far dangerous for us.

"MINIONS, COME TO ME…" The Shadows summoned the same Slithering Snakewoman and a Cavern Snakeman to aid him. Things started to look good for us, huh?

"Zionga!" the Snakeman used electricity against Mona, he went down so quickly. "Marakukaja!" It took his time to increases everyone's defenses. More Shadows meant more trouble for us.

"Ominous Words!" Snake woman tried to inflict it to Joker, bad luck it worked on him.

"Hey pull yourself together man!" Skull used a paper fan to cure him of despair. That was a close one. "Phew, don't worry I got your back." Skull was getting ready to attack again with his new looking Persona. "Bad Beat!" He swung with his staff with nails that made some cuts that caused despair status on the Snakeman.

After so long, the effect has worn out, and I regained my original form. "That's it. I'm furious!" I grabbed my mask out of anger. I never felt so much passion that inside after wasting my time as a mouse. Hannibal was composed as waiting for me to unleash my rage on them. "Oni Kagura!" He rushed and started to stab on all enemies with his claws. The Snakewoman got angry by the attack.

"Let's keep going everyone. We are almost done…" Joker was preparing a skill against all of them. "David, Mapsi!" It did technical damage to the minions, killing them out of the bat.

That thing was opening the coffin while showing his hand again. "TRAPPED RAT!" It did that stupid spell but with Fox.

"Oh, my…this is rather 'mice-rable' for me." Did I hear that right? Did he just make a pun? That was… Actually funny, not clever but it made chuckle.

"Damn, it will keep giving us trouble as long he comes out of that coffin." Mona analyzed its behavior while thinking a better strategy.

"Then let's make sure it never shows its ugly face again." I started to run towards it while he threw Megidos at me, but I dodge them pretty fast. Joker ordered everyone else to distract the Shadow until I could get closer to it.

It worked.

"I got you, sucker!" I used my weapon to wrap the chain around of it and making it impossible to open or even do anything to defend itself. "Skull, take the chance now!" I said while pulling the chain.

"On it…Assault Dive!" Seiten Taisei's weapon increased the size and stroke down with a lot of force that killed the Shadow. We finally were done with the fine, and it broke the spell, making Fox regaining his human form.

"Grrr… goddamn, that was a tough one…"

"…but we managed to scrape through that somehow! Let's keep it up and head for the Treasure!" I couldn't know how Panther could be in high spirits after that. I definitely prefer to be on back up.

"We should make sure we don't get reckless though. It's better to proceed one step at a time" At least Queen was rational. Everyone felt tired of that.

We kept continued with our infiltration while fighting through our way inside the pyramid. The place was a complete mess, even more than Kaneshiro's. Pits, traps, pillars, and platforms, hell even a giant crossbow to destroy a wall and give us more places to go. We fought and sneaked around Shadows and yet everything got tougher.

Something was starting to get my attention; Skull got a new Persona like Fox. He looked like a monkey with Mohawk and an angry cloud instead of a boat. Okay, I knew that one but was far over the top with the designs. I mean, I couldn't believe someone like him was able to evolve too.

We finally reached the end of the section, pretty much above the main entrance where the large sealed door was. We tried to move light with a small sphere that we found on our way. As we activated that thing, the door opened after so long. Unfortunately for us, it was just the first of many doors on our way to the treasure. I guess some god hated my guts because we already dealt with the same shit at Kaneshiro's.

"Oh for fuck's sake… more doors? Seriously?" I was feeling annoyed with it, but at least we found a safe room on the stairs. We decided to take another break with some drinks from the cooler.

"Phew, dude how long did we explore this place?" The punk said while drinking his bottle.

"We don't know Skull, the time in the Metaverse moves differently than the real world. I can assume like 2 hours here." Joker explained as he was taking another drink.

"2 hours could like 30 minutes, maybe." That's sounded rather useful from Mona's part.

"Well at least we did some progress, but do you think we can accomplish in one day? We still got a lot of time before the deadline."

"Nah I can still goin' for a bit more. With my new Persona, I can go through everything."

"By the way Skull, you forgot to mention of when did you get one too?" I got that question for quite some time since the fight against that Shadow coffin.

"Don't know I just got **Seiten Taisei** today as well. Although I got caught off guard because Fox got one too."

"We already talk about it on the room with the quicksand. And you said Mona didn't get an idea about it either." Queen got her hand on her chin while lost in thought.

"Hah! So even the so-called 'Master Thief' has no idea about it either!"

"Don't call me useless, you moron. None of us, not even Joker could know about it either." Oh boy, there goes those two bickerings again.

"Still, I guess that's beneficial for us since Skull now got stronger against fire spells like me." Panther pointed out something interesting. Their evolutions made them stronger to different elements.

"But you got any idea how he evolved Capt. Kidd into… well, that?" I still got a lot of question, but no one couldn't, not even Joker was able to answer us although he could switch between Personas.

"Well, I think it doesn't matter right now. Let's keep going everyone." Our break was over after our leader gave us the order. The enemies were getting stronger the further we got deeper; among those enemies were those irritating Bearers of Scales.

"No holdbacks!" Skull yelled while preparing for the fight. "Zionga!" It got enough some damage but got affected with shock status.

"Double Fang!" I made technical damage on it, but things never were simple.

"Makouga!" The Shadow used against everyone, but I was weak to it. I was on my knee as it took advantage of my predicament. "Hamaon!" It was lights out for me.

"Son of a…" I lost consciousness while everyone tried to take cover from other possible moves that might kill them too.

"Faust is down! Be careful everyone!" Mona told the others as he started to fight back. "Lucky Punch!" It took care of it as they did the rest of the work on executing it.

"Faust, are you alright?" Joker asked as he helped to stand on my own.

"Not really, as I know how it feels to be affected by instant-death skills. A shame those guys are immune to both bless and curse." I said while trying to wipe some dust off my cape. "I guess I will stay on the sidelines in the meanwhile. I'm not good to fight on this place anyways." I knew when to leave a fight that I couldn't win; too bad I never did that at some point when I was a rascal.

As we made a lot of progress, sometimes we encountered the ruler on different points of the Palace, and boy she started to get on my nerves for each time she led us to one trap after another. If it wasn't bad enough, we had to solve puzzles from murals. The worst thing wasn't to solve them because those weren't really complicated, but the voices started to narrate from her perspective. Awful memories, family, and people thinking she was a burden for causing her mom's death. The murals were a bit graphic by showing the events, from a letter delivered by men in black to the day of the mother's death. Her mother died on her eyes, by jumping to the street.

No matter how much we were able to open the doors to the Treasure, hearing all those horrible memories from each mural made unable to concentrate. Why could such hate exist to a child? Why do they deserve such treatment? Pointless questions, as those were the kind of truth I didn't want to know. As we were getting closer to the safe room inside the Chamber of Sanctuary, we got ambushed by a weird type of Shadow.

"Watch out everyone, those guys are dangerous." Mona warned as weird skulls surrendered us with snakes inside. We called them Sinister Scars, and they were ugly as hell.

"MaTaRuNdA!" One of those suckers would weaken our offensive power if it weren't already a bad situation.

"LiFe DrAiN!" The second one sucked my health like nothing. I really hated that skill.

"MaMuDo!" It only instantly KO'ed Panther and Fox, we got in deep trouble.

"I got enough, Oni Kagura!" I fought back, but I only missed one out of three.

"Magaru!" Mona tried, but all of them resisted to wind.

"Flash Bomb!" Queen tried the new skill she learned, and it causes one enemy to enter in dizziness.

"Ame no Uzame, Makouha!" Joker responded with another attack, which to guys were weak to bless. With all of them knocked down, we initiated an All-Out Attack. Sadly, we couldn't kill them because of our weak attacks.

We were no longer surrounded, but those guys were pretty dangerous for us. "Lucky Punch!" Mona tried a different tactic by knocking them down faster, but he couldn't land a critical and the damage was so pitiful.

"Swift Strike!" Skull was doing rushed and tried to kill them, at least was better for us.

"Makouha!" Joker used bless once again. He was able to let only one alive and starting a holdup. "Lend me your power." Joker began to a negotiation with the remaining Shadow.

"Oh, A hUmAn SpEakIn' To Me? ThAt Is A sUrPrIsE." The Shadow replied, but he sounded irritable. "TeLl Me SoMeThIn', WhY yOuNgStErS NoWdAyS dOeSn'T rEsPeCt ThEiR eLdErS aNyMoRe?" Isn't that horrible the kind of voice it has?

"I guess a difference of generations." Joker's answer wasn't right as it didn't explain much.

"GRRRR… WhAt KiNd Of AnSwEr Is ThAt? YoU'rE tHe KiNd Of PeOpLe ThAt RuInS AnYoNe'S dAy. I gUeSs ThErE's NoT mUcH tO tAlK…"

"Hey wait a second, sir." I interjected in the conversation. "Cut some slack to my friend, would you? You are not the only one having a bad day right now. At least listen what he has to say."

"MHHH, I gUeSs I cAn GiVe YoU aNoThEr ChAnCe." It worked; Joker thanked me by just nodding at me. "IsN't HoT tHiS pLaCe? WhAt WoUlD bE YoUr IdEaL pLaCe FoR vAcAtIoN?"

"Exploring the woods with a nice lake sounds good for me." That sounded a right answer, but I was hoping the Shadow would like it as well.

"OoOh, I lIkE tHe IdEa, YoU rEmInD mE tO mY yOuTh WhEn, AhHh…" The Shadow stopped talking as he realized something. "…I rEmEmBer NoW, I'm LoA. I'm FrOm ThE sEa Of SoUlS. LeT's BuIlD a FuTuRe ToGeThEr." And thus, the Shadow transformed into a mask, giving his loyalty to Joker.

That went well for most of us at least. We helped Panther and Fox to recovers after we finished the fighting. Everyone advanced towards the safe room where we could recover ourselves after so many boulders, spears, hidden enemies and so we had to deal until that point. Mona and Queen were helping everyone to heal our wounds while Skull and I were counting our ammo.

"Dammit, I'm running low in shotgun shells."

"I still have plenty, Faust. But I think you should use more your chain and hook instead of using your gun." Skull commented with a serious tone.

"But guns are supposed to be more powerful than anything. Why bother with using this rusty chain when I can use something like my gun?"

"I mean, it is better using our melee weapons than just using guns or our Personas themselves." Queen commented while helping with Joker's bruises.

"Yeah I don't think so; even this chain with hook can't even do enough damage compared to Hannibal's skills. Also, I can't still control it very well."

"Then why not using your fists? You told us that you got into a lot of fights when you were younger." I felt uncomfortable about Skull's question.

"I think I'm fine. Queen is already specialized on that. As long someone can heal me, I can use Hannibal as much I want."

"Sorry Faust, but it is a lot riskier to use only physical attacks. I know most of the enemies in this Palace are also immune to curse spells, but you can't rely on your Persona or gun all the time." Joker tried to lecture me; I couldn't tell if it was better or worse than Queen lecturing me instead.

"We are not having this discussion, are we? Everything is fine, even if I can't use brute force minus well I can make the enemies fall in fear or support. Don't worry about me." I felt pretty confident of myself; I learned my lesson already since the previous target.

"If you say so…" Queen wasn't really convinced of what I said, that didn't matter for me though. As long I kept fighting smart, things should go right for us.

"Alright everyone, let's go back exploring." We put everything back and headed out of the safe room. At the end of the hallway, there was a strange area with coffins on the walls. Somethings felt odd about there.

"Wait up! Look, there she is." Skull pointed out to something at the end of the room. It was the ruler. "It sucks if we had to go through hell again 'cause we walked up to her without thinkin' first."

"After so many traps, I guess is better to take caution of her right now." I was being worried too.

"So... what's your call? You wanna keep goin'?"

"Let's go" Our leader gave us the order.

"OK, but we should be careful." We were agreed with Panther. We walked towards the ruler who was sitting on top of a bigger sarcophagus. Good grief those yellow eyes were creepy.

"You're late. I thought all of you had died." The ruler spoke as she was concerned about us. Spoiler alert, she really wasn't.

"We almost did thanks to you! I mean, do you really wanna to help us!? Make up your goddamn mind!" Skull stole those words right out of my mouth.

"…I'm not sure. There's not much left at this point though." Just like that, she ditched us again.

"Oh… Not again! This is all because you picked on her, Skull!"

"Don't get angry at him. I'm pretty much feeling the same as him right now." I said that to Panther. Moments later, black goo came out of the sarcophagus. It was a man with a helmet of a fish with horns while he was holding a cup. Great, more trouble.

"Your short temper has created more work for us." Fox wasn't pleased for his behavior.

"This is my fault!?"

"Mhhh, debatable…" I remarked since I could say the same thing to her.

"…WHO DARES INTRUDE UPON THE PEACE OF THIS HOLY GROUND? THIS IS THE PHARAOH'S TOMB. NONE MAY DISTURB HER SLUMBER." The Reviled Dictator was preparing to fight us.

"Ngh, we can't retreat now. We'll have to do this!" We go into positions, taking a more defensive stance in case he makes a dangerous move.

"MAGARUDYNE!" The Shadow started with the worst, knocking out Skull right on the first turn. "TARUKAJA." He was getting stronger without leaving us time to react.

"Rakukaja!" Queen increased Joker's defenses. We tried to move fast to confuse our enemy.

"Agilao!" Panther used her fire, but the Shadow resisted the element.

"Fire is no good." Mona summoned Zorro while preparing to attack. "Garula!" Of course, not only the Shadow didn't receive damage but got healed by that. Mona was even more useless against it.

"It drained!? This is pretty bad for us." I got my gun ready, after shooting it did nothing as it was utterly bulletproof. "…Oh crap."

"I guess it became useless right now." Joker said while changing Persona. "David, Psio!" He tried to make with another element, the Shadow was neutral but it wasn't enough.

"Bufula!" Fox tried another element, and it was resistant as well. How resilient can be this Shadow?

"MARAGIDYNE!" He used heavy fire on everyone which it made Fox went out of commission. "CHARGE!"

"He is charging a physical attack! Everyone stay cautious!" Queen yelled at use while tried to drag our fallen allies out of the fight just in case.

"AYAMUR!" The Shadow made some sort of karate-chops three times, it launched Mona out of the room. All our allies were falling one by one.

"Eiga!" I tried as well if it was weak to it, still nothing good. How can we defeat it if it was stronger against all attributes?

"Ameno no Uzame, Kouga!" Joker tried and he failed as it wasn't good too.

"OK, magic and guns are useless against it. Let's do things the other way around." Queen got her Persona and rushed by doing a drift on it. "Flash Bomb!" It was pretty useful but no enough damage.

"Let me use my whip." Panther got her weapon ready and swung it, but it didn't do much though. The Shadow used counterattack that did more damage to her.

"AYAMUR!" It went against Blondie. She was fragile that couldn't stand the attack.

"Panther!" We got worried about her that Joker ran faster to take her out of the battle. The Shadow prepared another attack against our leader while catching him off guard. Queen and I tried to stop it, but someone already went ahead of us.

"Take this!"

"Begone!"

Skull and Fox made a surprise attack by going to different directions as it was distracted by Joker. Our leader made it safe while those two took the blow for him. We thought they were already out, but I guess they got enough strength to save Joker's life. I had to go and get them out of the way through.

"This is pretty bad. Even physical attacks are a risk for us." Queen said to our leader and me as we tried to revive our teammates.

"Do you have any other plan? We can't even get close to it without making us kissing the floor in pain!" I was rubbing my eyes out of desperation, as we were getting out of options.

"I will go in circles while you attack him from the back."

"Are you crazy!? You are going to suffer if you do that!" I objected to her plan since the Reviled Dictator was pretty fast for any of us.

"I agree, don't take the risk." Joker refused the plan too, but I guess it wasn't enough to convince our advisor.

"Sorry, but there is no other way." She summoned her bike and started to ride at high speed while avoiding the attacks. She tried with Freila and punches, but it wasn't enough. Joker and I had to make our move and take it down as soon as possible.

The moment the Shadow saw us, he got aware of her plan and grabbed from her neck. She tried to free herself, but the grip was firm that started to suffocate her. He used Magarudyne on us, but Joker reacted quickly and used Zionga but failed as it threw Joker against the wall, ending up pretty bad.

I was starting to get angry at it for what it was doing to my friends.

Queen was fast enough to get out of its hand and fight back finally, but it ended badly as you may expect it. "AYAMUR!" The Shadow made three powerful strikes against her, falling to the floor unconscious. That was the last straw. It was just stomping her and kicking her like a homeless dog. On my eyes, there was fire.

"Leave her alone!" The moment the Shadow focused its sight on me, he already got a punch on the face. It stepped back and tried to counter-attack. I didn't want to leave any chances to it, so I tied his arm with my chain. He fell to its knees while trying to free itself, but I kept punching it until it was on the floor. I was beating it from left to right; I couldn't stop myself from hitting it as I got black goo over my hands and face.

My head, I started to get images on my eyes, blurry and grey as there was something in my mind. The more I punch it, the more the images were getting on my way.

Everyone was waking up as they saw me punching the Shadow on the floor, as they were looking a street fight. Even if I was beating a Shadow, they look horrified as I was beating someone to death, and they weren't wrong. I kept punching it over and over again until that thing didn't have a face anymore. Joker and Skull tried to stop me but pushed them off aside while I let my anger took control of my actions. The images were getting more apparent as I continued to beat the Shadow; even voices were in my head.

"Stop, it's already dead!" I heard Queen's voice, but I ignored her. "It's dead!" I heard it again, but this time it wasn't her voice or any my fellow thieves. It was a kid, a normal kid yelling in horror. I was slowing down with as the images and sounds came to me. I got old memories, nasty and painful things to remember.

The moment I stopped punching the Shadow, I looked at my hands covered in black goo while it was dissolving. I saw it just like him. "No…not again…nononononono…NO AGAIN!" I was feeling sick, as I wanted to throw up. I covered my mouth with my hand and ran back to the safe room with the others looking confused at me. Despite that we won the fight, they were worried about my actions, as something possessed me and made me a monster.

I was using a trash can or vase or whatever it was to vomit inside. I was feeling weak, more than before. I never thought ever to experience that again. The same kind of feeling from six years ago, it was hard to believe. No matter how much I wanted to block those image and sounds from my head, I was being haunted again. I guess Futaba wasn't the only person with that kind of problems.

"Hey what happened to you?" Joker asked me while I was sitting on the corner.

"Nothing important…" I said in a weak tone of voice.

"Hey don't evade the question, tell us what was that moments ago."

"That doesn't concern to none of you, alright?" I replied to Queen while being upset. I stood up went to the door, but all of them were blocking my way. "Move aside. We have to save Futaba already."

"No"

"What?"

"We are not letting go through until you explain to us what happened to you." Queen looked concerned about me, like everyone else.

"I'm just feeling sick, that's all…"

"Are you sure? I want you to tell us the whole truth because it was far for sickness." Queen was crossing her arms, interrogating me like a specific person I knew with the same glare on her eyes.

"You want me to tell the truth? Fine, you get the truth, junior detective." I took a seat while everyone was around me, waiting to hear me out. "You know how much I was denying being a criminal when I met you, right? Well, it wasn't about my family that the reason I didn't want to acknowledge I was a criminal. There was something much more dangerous inside me, just like Futaba, the guilt was eating me alive since I was 12."

"Aren't implying that…?" Queen got her eyes wide open, as she knew what I was about to say.

"Yes… I… just like Futaba… I killed someone before. I killed an orphan six years ago."


	24. The Last Struggle

**Hello everyone, it's been almost more than half of a year since my last update. I know I didn't continue without saying a word, but I was busy with my other story while trying to improve my writing skills before I could keep working on this story. A lot happened in between, Persona Q2, Joker in Smash, and so on that, you probably would be interested to know what I think. I don't have much to say, but I'm pretty excited to play as our favorite Phantom Thief in Smash.**

 **Also one last thing, I will go back to old chapters and try to make a lot of corrections. It won't be 100% perfect but at least should be enough before I have time to look for an editor in the future since I'm using Grammarly and it isn't always accurate. Don't worry everyone, I will finish this story and I' make sure you get the best experience. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will work on the next one soon.**

 **Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus; this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

"That's…that's horrible…" Queen responded as she was covering her mouth with disgust.

"Dude, are you serious?" Skull was feeling the same.

"I wish I weren't, but that kid and some more were living in a horrible orphanage, so bad that the staff didn't even care if he was alive or not. The parents living around the area reported the incident, and some spoke to testify against me. I got scot-free, but things went from bad to worse. I ended up moving after my family stopped hiding. I brought a lot of hell to anyone around me back then."

"So that's why you been acting weird about Futaba lately." Joker just realized about me.

"I don't want the guilt on her could cause some unrepairable damage on the future. We already heard how many people were calling her a monster for killing her mother, but me...? I was set free for any charges due to my family's influences, and yet, I was a coward for not accepting the responsibility."

"It is hard to believe you've done something like that." Panther was in disbelief.

"You already saw my anger back when we dealt with Kaneshiro; you stopped me of killing his Shadow. I wasn't afraid of doing it since he tried to kill us, Joker convinced me that we are not killers, but in the end, I'm one after all." Everyone was looking at each other with long faces; I was truly ashamed of myself.

"But you are not really like other people we targeted before. You are at least trying to do something good at the end…"

"How can be so sure!?" I interrupted Queen for a moment. "I am not better than any of those suckers! Do you think I even deserve to be a Phantom Thief after telling you this...!? Because there's nothing that I can do to fix it."

"There is one way…" Joker spoke as everyone started to look at him. "…Maybe you can't bring that kid back to life, but you can at least save another one this time."

"Huh?"

"Joker is right; you can't just lament something from the past when you can do something good for someone now. I assure you this; things will change after saving Futaba." In an assuring tone, Queen told me while I started to understand it. I can't keep whining for something was already done.

"I'm not sure about it; I will need to keep my shit together. We are just close to Futaba's Treasure anyways." I said with doubt; everyone nodded back as we were ready to be back at business. "Hope Futaba isn't going to lead us through another trap."

"Speaking of Futaba… the hell's up with her, dammit!?" Skull was furious while complaining about how she sent a Shadow to attack us back then.

"Could you try to calm down? Nothing good of letting your temper flare up like that." Queen tried to reason with the punk, although I was guilty too.

"She did say 'there's not much left' though. The end of this Palace may be drawing close." Fox commented about what the Ruler mentioned off hand. He wasn't kidding; we kept advancing our way through what got left at the end of the chamber.

So far, we dealt with boulders, teleporting platforms, arrows from walls and other kinds of stuff that minus well should be in Destinyland if I would want to die. The rest of the infiltration was nothing out of the usual with avoiding Shadows or using those glowing things to letting us walk on midair across the already explored rooms.

As things started to get complicated, we returned to the room where there were two giant statues at the beginning of the same chamber we entered. The difference was that we were so close to them that we climbed on them to get at the other side. Good thing those statues were intact or else.

We finally reached the room with the puzzles we been solving from previous chambers, and of course, none of us would be happy to learn more about Futaba's painful past. "The mural should display on the front wall now, right?" Panther asked.

"I'd expect so. Joker, if you please." Queen said to our leader; he started to use the machine to project the mural. It was showing all the pieces in such a mess.

"Wait, what!? I can't even begin to tell what this one is." Neither do I, Panther.

"It may be a rather difficult puzzle for us to solve…"

"And then you ask me why I prefer crosswords anyway," I replied to Queen. Joker started to move the pieces by rotating some of them.

"Let me give you a hand." Skull tried to help Joker, but he was more on the way than helping.

"Step aside, let a real genius to solve it." Mona tried as well, but it still not better than before.

"You morons, you are doing it worse," I complained as for how backward the mural was looking.

"Allow me to do it instead," Queen asked the leader to solve it instead. He didn't have an issue and let her work on the puzzle. She made it look much more comfortable and faster than any of us could ever do.

"Way to go, Queen." Joker complemented her, at least we don't have to waste any more time. In just a matter of minutes, the mural was taking a better image than before.

"Yes! We finished it!" Panther exclaimed at the finished mural.

"A child pulling on her mother's clothes?" Fox commented as he analyzed that piece. I didn't like it one bit of it until we heard it.

"… _Mom…"_ We heard Futaba's voice once again.

"More voices, this isn't good…" Panther said with a long face.

" _I'm… I'm tired of eating dinner alone all the time. It's always just convenience store bentos… I wanna go somewhere. Take me on a trip!"_

"The one clinging to her mother would be Futaba-chan, right?"

"It definitely is, I can't keep looking at it," I said to Panther as both of us couldn't stop feeling melancholic by hearing it. It was painful to keep listening to it.

" _Don't be so selfish! You know I'm working hard to support you, right!? Ugh!"_ We heard a woman's voice coming from the mural; it was clear from who it was. The pyramid was shaking for a brief moment before the light aimed at the mural, destroying the final seal to open the door. The way through the treasure is clean, at last.

"She seemed pretty angry…" Queen looked sad as the rest of the group. "Is that the maternity neurosis the voice from earlier mentioned?"

"I thought it was pretty normal for a child to want to spend time with their parents though…"

"Yeah. It looks like Futaba was pretty lonely kid growin' up" Skull replied to Panther, as they knew the that kind of feeling from experience.

"So, these incidents compounded, forcing her mother to suicide…?"

"And things are just getting worse from there," I said it to Fox, what kind of mother would take her own life like that? As we were looking at the hallway, Futaba's Shadow appeared in front of us once again.

"…I must die." She caught us off-guard with that out of the blue. "I killed her… That's why I'm here in this tomb…"

"Don't say that!" Panther tried to reason with her, but it was no use.

"I will die…" She disappeared in a split of a second. We remained silent briefly as we processed in our minds about what just happened. Panther tried to call for her, but nothing happened.

"Why'd she gets so quiet all of the sudden? What happened to that snarky personality!?"

"I don't know, Skull. She is not the same as before." I wondered.

"Could her heart perhaps be growing weaker?" Fox asked, which wasn't so far-fetched for us.

"We have to hurry and save her!"

"Right, Panther. Alright everyone, let's move one." Joker said to us as we started to jump down to where the main hallway was. Once down, we run upstairs while approaching the door; it was the end of the road. It opened it, showing a weird green glow coming from there.

"It's open… but what's this!?" Panther said as we started to scrutinize it. Skull put his hand on it and tried to figure out how can we go through it. There was nothing on it.

"Hey, this ain't openin'… Think there's a way to open it somewhere else?"

"Is this a dead end? You have to be kidding me…" I frowned of the situation, but Queen got her eyes wide open, as she noticed something peculiar.

"Hm? This door…"

"It looks familiar…" Mona was acting the same way.

"Oh! Futaba's room!"

"That's it!" I guess we finally got our answer, for the most part.

"Why ain't it openin'?" Skulled to those two.

"It must be her cognition that no one can enter it." As Mona explained, it was clear that we weren't done yet.

"I'm surprised that you made it this far." Futaba's shadow appeared out of nowhere once again. She made me jump of surprise.

"Geez, stop doing that. What do you want now?" I asked with my usual annoyed attitude.

"Beyond lies the Pharaoh's Chamber." The Shadow explanation was pretty clear as we looked at each other.

"So, the Treasure's through here?" Skulled asked the Palace's Ruler.

"Indeed. However, you need my permission to open this door."

"Then open it for us."

"I cannot. You must have her invite you in." Hold on a second. From what the shadow replied to Skull, we need her permission to get in, but SHE can't do that. I was pretty confused about what the Shadow meant.

"What the eff. Ain't this your Palace?" Skull thought the same.

"What's she means, Mona?"

"The Shadow is Futaba, but not Futaba herself." The cat replied to the blonde's question. "In other words, we need the real Futaba's permission."

"So, we need to have Futaba-chan open her room and let us in?" Panther commented.

"Considering that you made it all the way here, you may be able to do it…" She disappeared into thin air again. That was getting old pretty quickly.

"Looks like we'll have to return reality once."

"I guess so, Panther, but I remember Boss saying that she won't let anyone in." Queen recalled it.

"Right. She's a serious shut-it." Things are never easy for us, heh, Skull?

"How will we convince her to allow us entry?"

"I don't know, Fox. Do you think a bribe might work for her?" I made another of my smart comments; I knew it wouldn't help anyways.

"Standing around here won't help. We'll just have to give it a try…"

"Seriously? Do you expect us to knock her door and let us in? Just like that?" I replied to Queen, hard to believe from my part.

"That's what she wants, after all."

"I think that we should do it too, even if it means we have to force ourselves in." Panther was fine with the idea.

"Someone sure is stoked about this…" Skull surely was surprised too.

"We have no choice but to sneak in again." Fox was right. There's no other way. Although, I wished there was another one at least.

"Joker, it's your call when doing this. Make sure you think of some excuses just in case Bosses catches us."

"Leave it to me." Our confident leader replied to Panther, not even slightly worried about the odds.

"We're countin' on you, leader," Skull said with enthusiasm.

"On that note, is everyone clear on what needs doing?"

"Can I wait outside of the house this time? Just in case if Boss appears." The cat crossed his arms, refusing my idea. I was pretty disappointed.

"Oh, that reminds me. Gimme the calling card. The one Alibaba sent us."

"What are you going to do with it?" Fox asked to that punk.

"We're the Phantom Thieves, you know? We gotta announce this. If the Treasure's there when we get the room open, givin' this to her will let us take it right away." Skull knew his gig; I guess I can't judge him on that. "Queen, help me think of what to write."

"I suppose…"

"Yes, please. I already had a hard time by tutoring him. Will you have it ready before the heist?" I asked to Skull.

"We got this covered! Joker decides on a good time we barge into her room! That's all him!" He was excited about it. Our leader nodded, and we started to walk out of the Palace. Outside in that goddamn desert, we were waiting for Mona to transform and return to reality.

"We've secured our route to the Treasure…Do you want to get out of here?" The cat asked Joker, just in case there wasn't anything else missing. Everything was good, and he opened the app from his phone.

"Return to the real world," Joker spoke to the app. Mona transformed into his bus form, and we boarded while the app did the rest.

"Now returning to the real world from Futaba's Palace. Thank you for your hard work." The app's voice said as our surroundings were changing. As we were transporting, everyone checked our progress on the infiltration log.

"We finally secured our route to the Treasure! All we need to do now is send the calling card." Mona said while we were reading the log.

"You are right…And once we send it, the heist is the only thing left… We have to succeed…" Panther said with a calm tone; she changed it with her usual energetic one. "I'll let you decide when we do it, Joker. Let's make sure we're ready before then!" We returned to reality, right on the alleyway in front of Leblanc. It didn't take too long to go on our separate ways with Akira and Morgana going back to the cafe, Yusuke and Ann went to the train station, Makoto and Sakamoto went to another place to work on that calling card, and myself riding my bike to return home.

It felt like a long and tedious day for me, never thought they would know about my problem at the Palace. How long had I been holding myself? Who knows, but I exploded. I hope they forget it because nothing could be the same. My mind became numb as I used the bathtub to wash me off that sand. I did nothing but looking at the ceiling until I received another message from my phone.

 **Ryuji:** Calling card's ready!

 **Ann:** That was fast!

 **Ryuji:** I mean, I already wrote three of 'em before this, remember?

 **Makoto:** But I came up with almost all of the sentences…

 **Katsuo:** Well, that explains a lot.

 **Ryuji:** You don't gotta mention that!

 **Makoto:** Smooth, Ryuji…

 **Yusuke:** The real question here is when we should go to Futaba's room…

 **Makoto:** Well, um…

 **Makoto:** I think our leader should decide.

 **Ryuji:** Look who's the smooth one now…

 **Katsuo:** So, we just have to wait for Akira's order like always.

 **Makoto:** It really should be up to him though, don't you think?

 **Yusuke:** Absolutely. We have no choice but to carry this out.

 **Ann:** It's all on you, Akira!

Something for sure, we wouldn't go to the next day and just wait when we are ready to act. I took advantage of it to at least stay at my apartment for the whole day on July 30th.

Nothing happened on that day as I stayed at home on my bed. My job at delivery was becoming stale and probably worse as other couriers started to receive less work. I started to hate that job. My day was nothing but reading my new book about Hinduism; its mythology was pretty weird between all those different stories.

Well, nothing weirder from what I been experienced on the last couple of months.

 **Ryuji:** Just what's Medjed gonna do?

I received another message from the group chat during the evening.

 **Yusuke:** It is hard for me to even fathom what it could be.

 **Ann:** People have really been in arms about the whole cleanse thing…

 **Makoto:** To think a global hacker group would be targeting us…

 **Katsuo:** This is just getting out of hand!

 **Ryuji:** Should we just ignore 'em?

 **Akira:** If only we could.

 **Ryuji:** Yeah, I guess it'd be easy if that was one of our options…

 **Yusuke:** No matter how you look at it, we need a countermeasure.

 **Ann:** Our best bet would be Alibaba.

 **Katsuo:** I'm not sure if that would work, though.

 **Makoto:** She may not be capable of it in her current state.

 **Ann:** I guess we should think if some other ways to then.

 **Yusuke:** Yes, it would be best to have as many solutions as possible.

 **Ryuji:** Hey Katsuo, don't you have family contacts to help us with this or something?

 **Katsuo:** Oh sure, let me look at my catalog of hackers that could help us. That sounds like a great idea.

 **Ryuji:** Alright, alright, I get it, you don't know either.

 **Ryuji:** Well we still got time, so let's come up with something good, k?

We were done talking, and I started to doubt about the fact that helping Futaba could the solution for us. I was wondering, even if we can't make her help us to get rid off those hacker clowns. How far we already reached for the Treasure. You know what? After this heist, minus well stop being a Phantom Thief for a while unless something else forces me to do so.

"Screw it, I need some air," I said to myself as I grabbed my jacket and left my apartment for a walk. I walked downstairs and just left the building; it is a surprise that the night was rather cold despite dying of heat on the same day. On the street, I saw a lot of posters from this year's election for Prime Minister, one of the candidates was a bald guy who wore shades. That guy looked like douche. 'Let's sail for a bright future' That was the slogan on the poster.

Bright future, yeah right.

As I walked to the convenience store, I looked around what to buy. The usual cheap stuff you find, from bentos to drinks. I got the stomach somewhat uneasy, so I bought some milk just relax. Why milk? Because I still like it to drink it, even if I was 19.

After paying the snack to the cashier, I walked to the street while looking around all those people being so calm. How can everyone be like that when Medjed threated this country because of us? One of the biggest mysteries in the world, and I don't want to know either.

Without expectations, my phone started to ring without a rest. As I looked who was calling me, something caught my attention. "Goro?" I said with surprise. I wasn't sure if to answer him as I wanted to be alone for the moment. However, the last time I talked with him was when we played darts. Minus well not leaving him waiting. "Hello?" I sat on a bench while talking.

" _Katsuo-san? Good evening."_ He replied on his usual friendly tone.

"Hey, Goro. What's up?"

" _Nothing, I thought if you had time for another match, with Pool this time."_

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm not really on the mood to go out for the moment," I said it politely, I hurt me to say no but I just wanted to be away from everyone on the moment.

" _I see, how unfortunate. I guess I will as ask you another time."_

"Hey, can I ask you something? Since you are a detective and all."

" _What a surprise. What is your question?"_ He replied with amaze.

"Well, it is a complicated thing but… let's say you hate someone, and that person is the cause of all your problems. Would you forget that person after so many years and move with your life or would you try change thing for said person? Hypothetically." What a mouthful question I made to Goro.

" _I…do not follow your question since I don't think it would need my skills as a detective_." Goro sounded somewhat troubled; I guess my question was way confusing. _"Do you hate someone in specific?"_

"Let's say, that person is always next to me." I sighed.

" _Well, if I'm perfectly honest with you, I say you should try to change things around with that person. Nothing is going to be solved if you let things be."_ Goro's tone sounded pretty assuring, expected from a detective.

"Is that so? I will think about it, but thanks for the advice."

" _No problem, I hope that works for you. Oh, I have another call. Talk to you another time."_

"Sure, next time." We ended the conversation. As far from what he told me, I need to change. I can't drag things any longer. The others already knew about what I did in my past, there's no way I can fix it, but there's the next chance. Funny, Goro's advice made me remember what Akira told me at the Palace.

If I want to get over it, I need to save Futaba from hurting herself. That's what I needed.

I stood up and returned to my apartment with determination on my mind. I needed to sleep early so I could be ready in case we have to go for the next morning. Maybe I can't have much of a future for me, but Futaba can at least.

Whenever we return to that pyramid, I won't hesitate or doubt anymore. I'm not sure if things will end well, but I wouldn't lose another life on me again. After tomorrow, I'll be ready for anything.


	25. The Empire of the Broken Dreams

**Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus; this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

 **Alibaba:** What are you doing?

We got a message from the hacker on the last day of the month. It was early in the morning, and I wasn't even ready to leave my bed just yet.

 **Ann:** It's her again!

 **Alibaba:** How much longer are you going to make me wait?

 **Alibaba:** Do you not care about me reporting you to the police?

 **Ryuji:** Whoa, slow down! Just give us a little more time.

 **Alibaba:** I can't do that.

 **Makoto:** We're trying our best here.

 **Yusuke:** If you truly cannot wait any longer, go ahead and report us.

 **Ryuji:** Hey!

 **Katsuo:** Look, Alibaba. We have been doing some progress, but if you could give us just a little bit of preparation, then we will be able to fulfill our part of the deal without issues.

 **Alibaba:** Hmph. Maybe I can give you a little more time.

 **Ryuji:** Maybe!?

 **Katsuo:** Shut it, punk! I appreciated your consideration. We will be in contact soon.

The conversation was shorter than usual, but she was getting rather anxious about the situation. Akira immediately sent us another message on the group chat. He told us to go to Leblanc ASAP. I left my bed and went to the shower before heading to our hideout. If I'm perfectly honest, I was ready to go to her Palace anytime.

I rode my bike while going straight to the hideout without interruptions. Of course, I had to go on the moderated speed to avoid any pigs from traffic. I parked my bike, somewhere I hope, I couldn't remember where but I'm sure no one would notice my baby on my absence.

I entered the coffee shop, but Boss wasn't anywhere to be seen, probably errands or something. It was the perfect chance I walked upstairs, and I saw everyone already in the attic.

"Yo!" Sakamoto was the first to greet me. Everyone waved their hands as I took the chair next to the desk with tools. We were around the table while Morgana jumped to the center of it. "When're we gonna charge into Futaba's room? There's no point thinkin' it over now." The punk talked to everyone while handing the calling card over the table. "Well, I got the calling card, so lemme know when you decide."

"This is different from past cases. We'll be handing the calling card directly to Futaba herself. Once we give it to her, we'll head straight into her Palace." We heard the cat's words, clear as crystal. "There won't be any time for prep work in between, so make sure you're ready beforehand."

"I understand it perfectly," Akira replied with confidence.

"Are you sure we're ready to go? Once Futaba sees that calling card, we'll need to head straight into her Palace. Is that OK?" Morgana asked again, in case our leader had any second guesses. It wasn't the case, though. He replied a simple nod.

"Ooh, so you're set on doin' this?" Sakamoto asked with a big grin on his face.

"Looks like it's my turn to unlock the entrance. Forgive me, Chief." Morgana said with an apologetic tone. I didn't blame him, I never liked to trespass his house either.

"How will we convince Futaba to let us into her room though? Even Boss is forbidden entry." Yusuke asked Akira.

"We'll be honest," Akira replied, couldn't get simpler than that.

"Yes, that is the best course of action." Makoto was easily agreed with that.

"You know a method?" That artist was curious.

"I think it's quite straightforward. Futuba doesn't know what we're doing inside her Palace, correct? Hence, if we tell her we've come to steal her heart, she'll surely open the door and let us inside."

"Wait… That's it?" Ann asked with surprise.

"But do you think is a good idea? She wouldn't like it if we do that." I was a little skeptical with the method.

"Futaba wants to have a change of heart. After all, she contacted us for that express purpose. That desire should lead her to open the door as well."

"…You're right. Our feelings should get through if we just try and talk to her." Ann didn't have any objections about Makoto's explanations.

"All right, I believe in Futaba! C'mon, let's get this done!" Surely that punk was awfully excited to let this thing to start. We nodded in agreement and headed straight to Boss' home. Morgana started to lockpicking the front door while the rest of us looked around in case Boss or the neighbors were around. I still didn't like to get inside someone's house, but there was no point to argue. We waited for a full minute for the cat doing his job, Akira should be the one doing that instead. Maybe it might look more suspicious if any of us did it, too bad we don't have a master of unlocking in this team. Yes, I said that, shut up.

"Alright everyone, get in quick," Morgana said to us after he was done with the door. I closed it while looking behind, as a good measure. We walked carefully without making any noise until we reached the door to Futaba's room.

"We're sorry for sneaking in so many times, Boss." Makoto said remorsefully, there was nothing to apologize about it until this point.

"There's no mistaking it. This is the same door as in the Palace."

"I hope this will work out." I said to the cat. I was pretty anxious for the heist.

"Hello, Futaba?" Makoto started to gently knock Futaba's door. "You're there, aren't you? Please answer us." As expected, there was just silence.

"I doubt she'd answer…" Morgana said in disappointment.

"Alibaba, we know you're there. It doesn't matter if it's through chat messaging. Just answer us." Makoto was being persistent about getting any response from that girl. Naturally, Akira's phone started to receive a message.

 **Alibaba:** You should've told me you were going to come here.

"Weren't you the one who ordered us this morning!?" I replied with annoyance.

"In order to steal your heart, we need you to open this door. We can't change your heart otherwise. Please let us in." Makoto talked through the door, we hoped if Futaba wouldn't chicken out on this.

 **Alibaba:** I'm not mentally prepared!

 **Akira:** You have to this.

 **Alibaba:** That's easy for you to say…

"The other you within your heart told us to have you open it. Deep down, you want to open this door, don't you?"

 **Alibaba:** The other me?

"I don't think she understands what you are talking about, Makoto." I commented since this isn't a simple thing to explain.

"I got this." She whispered to me. "Yeah. We're trying to uphold our promise, but you're the one resisting us." She kept doing some pep talk to the isolated girl. I crossed my fingers.

 **Alibaba:** Give me some time.

"Ten seconds."

 **Alibaba:** That's too short! At least minutes. Please!

"Fine. But if Boss comes home, we'll kick down the door and enter if we must." Makoto was done talking as we waited a couple of minutes. We were tapping the floor and doing some random stuff until we waited long enough. "Time's up, Alibaba."

 **Alibaba:** All right, I'll open it now.

Alas, another second or I would almost start destroying that door like the Big Bad Wolf.

"We need to change her cognition. Better to be completely safe than sorry." Makoto commented.

"So she has to be the one to invite us in…"

"That's the case, Yusuke." I replied.

"Futaba, please open the door." Makoto spoke through Futaba's door. She didn't send another message or else. So far, we heard steps as the doorknob was turning, making the door to open by itself. We were surprised that Futaba really complied.

"All right, let's go in…" Sakamoto said with a serious tone. Without any objections, we entered her room one by one. I was the last one to get in.

Once inside, we started to look around and let me tell you, that place was a total mess.

"What is this…?" Yusuke asked in confusion to the messy room.

"Medical science, information technology, biology, psychology… These are all technical books…" Makoto commented while examining Futaba's desk.

"What kind of teenager reads that stuff?" I said to myself until I remembered that she was a hacker, it would be natural that she would know that kind of information. "Huh?" something caught my attention.

"Is there something wrong?" Ann asked me.

"It is nothing." I replied to her. Where the hell did she get those Feathermen figurines? I have been looking for them since December. It didn't matter for the moment, though.

"She keeps herself cooped up in a room like this all the time…?" The blond girl asked while making a long face. Of course, something felt odd until Yusuke pointed out for us.

"Where's Futaba?" He asked for everyone.

"Where could she be hiding…?" The punk was wondering as well. We were looking at our surroundings until we heard noises.

"The closet!?" Makoto said in surprise.

"She'll shut herself into the bitter end, hm?" Yusuke commented with disappointed eyes.

"Even if that door's opened up, we'll get stopped again inside." Morgana was right, this wasn't enough to get her permission. "I bet a fence or something formed right in front of the Treasure now."

"Good grief, why is she making things harder for us!?" I said with my palm on my forehead.

"Th-This makes no sense! Explain yourselves!"

"Who, she talked…" Sakamoto said in amusement.

"No shit, Herlock." I replied while raising an eyebrow.

"We needed to change your cognition. Unless we do so, we can't steal your heart."

"I highly doubt she would understand it even if we explained it to her…" Yusuke and I thought the same thing. Makoto's technicalities wouldn't help us in any case.

"So basically, my cognition is being a hindrance, keeping you away from the core of my cognitive world?" Or so we thought.

"Huh? She understood it?" Ann wasn't the only one with the surprise either.

"Why do you know about that? Who are you?" Makoto kept asking questions to the hacker in the closet. Futaba replied with a sigh.

"Why'd you call yourself Alibaba and make things more complicated?" Sakamoto asked too. "If you wanted help, you could've just asked for it."

"…was..rrsassed." She mumbled, much to our confusion.

"Huh? M-My bad. I didn't catch that." The punk asked again, she replied with a groan.

"…'Cause I was embarrassed."

"I think I get it." Ann commented. "Asking someone for help isn't that easy…"

It never is, especially when you feel guilty.

"Futaba, can you tell us more? How do you know about the cognitive world?" Makoto started to ask again, we hoped if the hacker got enough strength to reply to us.

"…'Cause I knew about it."

"Well, that doesn't explain much." I sighed.

"Oh… That reminds me. Boss was talking about 'cognition' or something before, right?"

"You think this is related to how he was getting' grilled by that one lady?" Sakamoto asked the blond girl. I started to wonder about that connection as well.

"Perhaps her mother was researching this cognitive science that was mentioned?"

Cognitive psience with a PSI in front! Less science, more supernatural. That's important." Futaba corrected Makoto, she sounded more comfortable about explaining the topic.

"Well that certainly got her attention… It seems we're on the right track." Yusuke added.

"So, cognitive…psience? Futaba, what was your mother working on?" The hacker remained silence to Makoto's question. "Please tell us. What happened?"

"She's not answering." Yusuke said nonchalantly.

"Shouldn't we do this later? She seems to have gone through some shit in the past…"

"True…" Makoto replied to the punk. "She did say things like 'die'…" We were in a tight situation, I gulped of how sensitive the topic was. I couldn't come up with anything to say since I wasn't comfortable to follow the conversation. That is until I saw Ann with a fierce expression.

"Hold on." She said while facing at the closet. "Futaba-chan. Did you really kill your mother?" She was blunt, probably more than any of us in the room.

"Whoa, you moron…!" Sakamoto called her out.

"Wasn't her death an accident? What actually happened? Maternity neurosis? Is that really true?"

"Ann." Yusuke muttered

"We saw what your heart is like, but we still can figure anything out. The mother that Boss told us about is completely different from your cognition." After the blond girl was done talking, we heard Futaba's groans within the closet. "We want to hear the truth from your mouth."

"…M-My mom… was…" The hacker stumbled between her words. I never thought Ann would be so direct on asking all this. "The… one who killed her… was… Nngh…" We could hear her struggling, it was painful for me to hear her like that.

"It's possible that she can't remember because her heart has become distorted." Makoto said with sad eyes. We weren't sure if it was a good idea to keep talking about such painful memories. Ann started to look at the closet with a solemn attitude.

"I'm so sorry, Futaba-chan. I, um… A lot happened, so… I'm sorry." She tried to apologize. The moment became quiet, melancholic. It must take enough strength to face such things engraved on your heart.

"I guess we will return another time." Before I could go to the door, something unexpected happened. We heard the door of the closet opening up in a sudden manner that made me jump of surprise. Something that caught us off guard when we saw Futaba leaving the closet without warning.

"Th-There! Now steal it!" She said with her eyes shut and open arms. We weren't sure of what was going on anymore.

"…What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Sakamoto asked with shock.

"C-C'mon, hurry it up!" Futaba said with a demanding tone, much to our confusion.

"Uhhh…I don't think that's how it works." I commented.

"We did come to steal your heart, but it's not really done right here at this moment…" Makoto tried to clarify things up. She wasn't sure how to react. "All you really had to do was open that closet door…" Futaba started to open right eyes, much to her confusion. "…I'm sorry we made you jump to conclusions. You don't have to be like that…"

"I-I see…" Futaba understood. However, after she grasped the situation, she stepped back to the closer and shut the door in front of us.

"She went back in!" Ann said in surprise.

"…Wh-What's the meaning of this!? Did you guys trick me?" Futaba said in disappointment. I was more disappointed by the fact that she took it literally despite knowing how cognitions work.

"No! Please listen! There's a reason we had to do this!" Makoto said with a serious tone, it didn't matter for the hacker.

"She's aware of the cognitive world, but it seems she doesn't understand how a change of heart occurs." Morgana said with a frown.

"Um, Futaba, how much do you know about the cognitive world?" Makoto asked Futaba once again.

"I know that there's another world based on cognition. But I don't know how to get there." She said nervously. I did nothing but to rub my eyes in desperation. "Can you guys go there? You said you 'saw my heart' earlier."

"Yes, that's right." Makoto nodded.

"How do you do it?" Futaba kept asking us.

"We use a smartphone app."

"An app?"

"Yes. By entering the required information, we can go to the cognitive world."

"A name, a place, and a distortion- those three." Sakamoto added. "So in this case, 'Sakura Futaba,' 'Sakura Sojiro's house,' and-" Before he could continue, Makoto interrupted him with another interesting question.

"Futaba, you don't happen to have this app, do you?"

"This…" The hacker replied with a quiet tone. "…I don't" We felt relief about hearing that. I wouldn't want her to be with us in the first place if she had the app.

"Thank goodness… OK then." Makoto sighed.

"Can you take me with you too?" Futaba asked.

"No." Akira replied bluntly.

"Are you kidding? We can't allow that. This is something for professionals." I said it with assurance, everyone nodded to that.

"I gotta agree. Just leave this to us."

"I'll leave it to you then." She replied it to the punk.

"Good. And you better not forget about our promise, all right?" Sakamoto said while Ann and Yusuke were the first ones to walk out of the room. The punk followed them but stopped next to the closet. "Oh yeah! Almost forgot! The Treasure's not gonna appear if we don't have her read this!" He pulled the calling card out of his pocket and sledded it through the closet's gap.

"Hm? A calling card?"

"It's the one you prepared. Read it." He replied Futaba.

"… I can't read it. It's too dark."

"You could just come out…"

"… It's embarrassing." She said with her usual nervous tone. What a complicated girl.

"I'll make sure she reads it, so you guys go on ahead." Morgana said as he was looking somewhere to hide inside the room.

"Futaba, make sure you read it, okay?"

"Okay." The hacker replied Makoto. We started to walk out of the room without much rush. It was a strange experience meeting Futaba in person, and I had no words to say about it. We were outside of the house, waiting for Morgana's cue.

"Do you think it will work?" I asked the others.

"This is something we will find it out soon." Akira replied, he was awfully quiet, but then again, cool guys never break silence unless is necessary. "Don't worry, we will save her." He said while putting his hand on my shoulder. It gave me some sense of security as to how reliable this guy was.

Minutes later, we saw Morgana leaving the house. "She read it. Let's go!" She yelled while jumping out of the window.

"Ready everyone? It's Show Time!" Our leader said while activating the Metaverse App. We were transporting instantly to the other world.

* * *

"The Palace's security level is so high I can feel it from all the way out here…" Panther said a soon as we arrived at the Pyramid.

"Futaba seemed totally up for gettin' her heart stolen… What's up with this?" Skull commented due to how heated the whole place felt.

"Hm… Something about this place really is unusual."

"That's what makes me uneasy about this place, Mona." I commented on the state of the Palace. I had a bad feeling about there.

"Either way, there's only one thing for us to do now that we've sent the calling card!"

"Hell yeah! No matter what we gotta face, we're gonna take that Treasure for sure!" Skull was impatient to start the heist. Everyone was in fact.

We began walking towards the Pyramid's main entrance. Step by step, we began climbing through the stairs until Joker stopped me for a brief moment.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Hey, how're your chains?" He asked about my weapon.

"Well, this thing isn't on great shape. I think I busted it when I was punching the Shadow since our last visit." I said while looking at it in a decaying state. "Why, though?"

"I got you a new one for you." He showed a long chain and double hooks with strange engravings on it. It was odd, but for some reason, it emitted a powerful aura on it.

"Heh, thanks for that. I hope to give it a better use before breaking it." I said while ditching my old weapon. I didn't bother to ask if he got it from Iwai since it looked weird.

Back to the heist, we kept walking to the long hallway which led us straight to the Treasure. We were standing exactly since the last time we stopped at. The door didn't look any different as it still had the signals on it.

"I hope she read the calling card." Panther asked while looking worried about it.

"I mean after all the trouble we went through, she damn well better've read it!" Skull added. That didn't take too long for the door changing form, finally letting us go through there. "All right! It's open!" The punk exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"Well yeah, Futaba-chan opened the door herself." The blond girl said with a smile.

"Anyway, the Treasure is up ahead! Let's finish this!" Without further ado, we walked towards what appeared as an 'ancient elevator' with Joker pressing the button. It lifted us to the top of the place. The ride wasn't too long, but my heart was beating pretty fast. I was taking some breathing exercises to concentrate. Once on the top, we began looking at the whole giant room. There were floating digital screens with data and information like a computer.

"So," Queen spoke as she was looking at our surroundings. "This is the place that represents Futaba's room." At least looks cleaner than her actual room.

"Yup, this is the heart of a hacker all right." Skull added. "Anyways, where's the Treasure?"

"I'm getting a strong signal from above us. The Treasure had definitely manifested." Mona said while pointing out our objective. It was pretty far from us, though.

"There's no knowing what may lie ahead, so let's be vigilant as we push toward the Treasure."

"Why things can go easy for us?" I expressed unenthusiastically on Queen's warnings.

"Let's go everyone." Joker was the first to walk ahead of us. The place reeked trouble as not only was confusing, but we weren't alone. Shadows were lurking on the area, we tried to use cover to hide from danger. However, there were some mummy dogs which blew our cover. We didn't want to waste time, but those were blocking our way.

"Out of our way, assholes!" I said while trying to summon Hannibal. That is what we got the awful realization. "What the hell? Where's Hannibal!?" I said while grabbing my mask.

"What's wrong, Faust?" Queen asked me.

"I can't summon my Persona!" I said while taking cover from the Shadows.

"This place, it seems that emits the same behavior as the box we were trapped before." Fox commented while trying to use his katana to slice our enemies.

"Oh crap…we have to reach the top without using magic?" Skull said as he was bashing heads with his bat with nails.

"It seems that we have no choice. Listen, everyone, try to not use too much ammo on them. We might need them in case." Joker ordered us to fight while saving the arsenal.

"Alrighty, time to test this baby." I said with a devilish smile across my face. I extended the chain and swung it to various Snakewomen on our way, they began acting weird as they looked lost. "Oh, now this is much better." I admired my new weapon as it caused the Dizzy Ailment. I thanked Joker for it.

"Move!" Queen began charging heavy punches and kicks that threw two Shadows off the edge. They fell from a long height. "Faust, on your left!"

"Got it!" I said while rapidly turning to where Queen told me. I grabbed a Bearer of Scales from the neck with my left hand and started punching it with my fist wrapped in chains like a brass knuckle. After a few punches, kicked it off the platform too.

"Duck!" Panther told to everyone as she pulled her submachine gun to spread lead on the rest of the enemies. We avoid the bullets, but we wished that she could improve her aim at least.

"Are we done?" Fox asked Mona.

"No, I can still sense more ahead of us."

"I'll handle it!" Joker started to swing his knife with swift moves before using his gun to kill one Shadow. There were still more, but I was sure that he would like some help.

"Joker!" I yelled while taking cover and my sawed-off shotgun on hand. "Would you like to finish those suckers?"

"Faust, on position!" That was his cue, I jumped on the scene as both of us were covering each other's backs and aiming with our guns at the enemies. "Fire!" We shot at them without mercy as black goo went flying over the place. And with that, our path was finally clear of Shadows. "Good job, everyone." Joker congratulated us as we were reaching the top.

"Man, I knew there would be another trap here." Skull commented while catching his breath.

"At least we are close to the Treasure without wasting magic." Panther stretched her arms and legs due to the long battle.

"That's right, the Treasure is right past this point." Mona pointed at the door next to a lever.

"What may await us within…?"

"I'm not so sure, Fox. Nothing good I believe." I said while cracking my knuckles and my shoulder.

"No matter what it is, we need to be ready for it!" Mona was looking at our leader, expecting a quick answer.

"Let's do this!" Joker began pulling the lever, allowing us to get there with another elevator behind the door. We ride it once more by taking us further to the top. After a couple of minutes, we reached our destination, and our expectations weren't exactly what we were hoping.

"The hell? This ain't what I was imaginin'! Skull criticized to the empty room.

"Were you expecting a mountain of treasure or something of that sort?"

"That would be nice, though." I commented to Fox.

"There IS that over there." Panther pointed at the sarcophagus on the room. It was made of stone and not one with encrusted jewels. Just a dirty old one.

"That's it…?" The punk asked in disappointment.

"The Treasure must be inside." Queen commented as she carefully examined that thing.

"All right, let's take it!"

"Hold your goddamn horse! What if is another trap?" I said to Skull while grabbing him from the shoulder.

"It would be fine, we already reached the top. I will check it for you, alright?" He replied to me with confidence. He walked towards the sarcophagus while watching his step.

"Be careful." Fox said at the punk.

"T-Treasure…!" Mona was getting excited as usual. He leaped towards it, but that was when things went downhill for us.

"There's something here…"

"I got a bad feeling about this, Fox…" Skull stole the words right out of my mouth, I didn't like one bit of it. We were confused as the whole place was shaking as if something was causing it. After the sudden earthquakes, some bricks of the Pyramid fell off, leaving a hole which sunlight was illuminating us.

Of course, that's when I realized at that moment… we were screwed.

" **FUUUUUUUUUUTAAAAAAAAAABAAAA!"** Something screamed in anger while it looked at us through the hole. We only saw an eye from it, slowly getting close to us. Its voice was irritating and enough to make me rip my ears off.

"Is it a Shadow…?" Queen asked with cold-sweat on her face. "No… Then-"

"It's not Futaba!" Fox said with his sword at hand.

"Don't tell me…" Mona looked pale as if he knew something more than what appeared. That thing began crushing the walls with powerful strikes that sent some of the blocks flying away from the top. There were powerful gusts of wind that cleared the room's dust. We covered our eyes from the dirt. I used my cape to cover everyone, but that is when we saw it.

It was sphinx with a woman's head. It was wearing glasses and a red dress. That was NOT okay at all! We couldn't believe what we saw at that thing.

"This is insane!" Panther said with fear in her voice. That thing was flying above us while sending blows with its wings. Skull and Mona rolled on the ground due to the wind.

"If it's not a Shadow, then what is it!?"

"It's a… cognition!" Mona answered Skull's question. "A monster that Futaba's cognition created!" The cat was grabbing some of the gaps on the floor, hoping he wouldn't be flying off the Pyramid's top.

"How can that be!?" Queen asked in fright while covering her face. She couldn't see what was ahead of her.

"Hey, look out!" Skull warned to her as rocks began falling on top of us. I tried to move her out of danger. While I succeeded in saving her, I was sent flying instead. It forced me to hang on the edge for my dear life and hoping not to fall off.

"Guys! A little help here!" I tried to call for the others. Joker and Fox went to my rescue and helped me to get back on the top. Things were getting worse from there.

"Here it comes!" Skull yelled at us about the sphinx's next move. It flew away from us.

" **DO NOT APPROACH THE PHARAOH'S TOMB!"** It yelled while flying around us. **"MISFORTUNE WILL FALL UPON YOU!"**

"Great, I never was lucky to begin with." I muttered while wiping off the dust on my cape.

"Ugh, look at it fly about! We can't reach it like this!" Mona said with irritating eyes. "We've got no other option. Let's take it down with our guns and skills!" The cat said while pulling his slingshot at the monster. We were doing the same with our weapons at hand.

"David! Psio!" Joker was the first one to attack. He was able to reach it but wasn't enough to damage it.

"Take it!" Mona started shooting, the pellets didn't do anything either. "This is not good."

"Johanna! Freila!"

"Carmen! Agilao!" Both girls were launching spells at the same time, but the sphinx dodged both attacks. For something that big surely got a lot of mobility.

The monster flew at our direction and tried to slam us with its claw. It was able to damage me with all its weight. The sphinx tried again, being able to catch Skull off guard.

"Fuck! What's the deal with this thing!?" I said while trying to get back on my feet.

"Who cares!? Let's take it down!" Skull said while pulling his firearm. Him, Fox and I aimed at it while still flying on the earth. Bullets and pellets went flying, but those barely made a scratch on the cognition.

"Not enough, eh? Hannibal!" My Persona laughed maniacally by casting Rakunda on it. I was hoping that everyone would be able to damage it with more efficiency. We tried to launch more magical skills on it, but no matter how many times we did, it kept countering us.

The sphinx kept sweeping us with its claws and even using its wings by sending tornados. The more we tried to fight back, the worse things were getting for us. We reached a point where the monster ascended way above us to the sky. It reached extreme heights that we lost from our sights.

"H-How far did it fly up!? What's it gonna do!?" Mona asked in much desperation, it didn't last long until we realized something bad. "Don't tell me… Is it gonna dive attack us!?" We began guarding with our weapons as we couldn't know exactly when that thing would appear again.

That thing full of wrath made us look at the sky with paranoia, it was unnerving. No matter how cautious we were, we got a chill running down on our spines. "Damn that thing… When's it gonna strike…!?" Mona asked once again. We never broke our guards as far we could tell. That thing was toying with us. "Nngh… It' still not attacking?" That didn't last as the sphinx finally dived with its whole body onto us.

We got hurt, badly. That thing was unpredictable and fierce for a simple cognition. How could that thing be stronger than a Shadow?

"Ngh… This isn't good. I can't tell at all when it's gonna attack…"

"What do you mean can't tell!? You gotta tell us, Mona!" Skull wasn't pleased from hearing that.

"I-I can't help it! There are some things that even I can't do!" The cat yelled anxiously.

Our attacks were useless, we were blind for incoming attacks. It was hopeless, there was no way that we could beat that thing with our current power. It was the end of the line for us, right now, our only chance to defeat the cognition would be something that could help us to damage it from a far distance and predict its movements.

We needed a miracle.


	26. Awakening the Truth

**Hello everyone, during my time when I was writing this chapter, I saw the announcement of Persona 5 The Royal. This new girl appearing on the teaser made me both excited but skeptical about what is her role on the game. Since Atlus tend to add somewhat controversial girls on their remakes, I don't know what to expect from it. I hope it is good at the end. Enjoy the chapter because this one is shorter than usual.**

 **Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

"The hell!? We ain't doin' shit to it!" Skulled panted as we were on our knees. Things didn't look good for us as that monster kept flying around the pyramid.

"We need something to stick it to the ground, but how we do that!?" I was beaten, my mind couldn't focus on any ideas. At that point, we had no chances of winning. What else could get any worse?

"Huh? Futaba!?" Of course, after hearing Queen calling her out, that caught us by surprise. "You came into your cognitive world!?"

"Mh-hm…" Futaba replied like nothing.

"Hey, Mona. What the hell is she doing here!?" I asked while I was confused.

"I-I don't know! But the person themselves coming into their own Palace…? If that happens…"

"It happens what!?" Before Mona could answer me anything, the sphinx roared on the sky. We focused our attention on it.

"That's…" Futaba also noticed it. With very few steps, she stopped as if something was holding her. Her face changed out of the blue, I could see her fearing something while covering her ears. She fell to the ground. "It's my fault… It's my fault that Mom…" She muttered in a somber tone. Queen ran towards Futaba to see what she got in her mind. We got into positions by making a circle to protect the hacker. No matter how much our Advisor tried to comfort her, she kept blaming herself.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" The sphinx screamed. "YOU KILLED ME!"

"Wait, is that monster her mother!?" Fox said with his eyes wide open. I couldn't believe it either.

"Futaba's desires and guilt must've distorted her cognition of her. The wish that her mother was alive again is mixed in as well, along with those eerie jeers…" Mona's explanations only brought us nothing but more uncertainty.

"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A DEMON WHO STOOD IN MY WAY! I WISH YOU HAD NEVER BEEN BORN!" Those were harsh words, no mother in this world would ever say something like that to her own child. "THAT WAY I COULN'VE ANNOUNCED MY RESULTS WITHOUT HAVING TO WASTE MY TIME ON YOU! I POURED MY HEART AND SOUL INTO THAT RESEARCH! IT WOULD'VE BEEN THE DISCOVERY OF THE CENTURY!" The cognition kept ranting like no other tomorrow.

"What does she mean by that?" Queen asked.

"Could she be talking about cognitive psience?" Mona started to see the whole picture. Something wasn't right.

"YOU'RE GOING TO DIE! THERE'S NO MEANING IN YOUR LIFE! NO ONE NEEDS YOU!"

"Nobody cares about me…" Futaba muttered after hearing that bizarre version of her mother. "N-Ngh…" She held her head in pain.

"Hey, we're gonna be in deep shit if this keeps up!"

"I'm agreed with Skull. Does anyone have an idea of what's wrong with Futaba!?" My patience was running low due to the situation.

"So because she thinks she killed her mother… and because she thinks she deserves to die… Futaba gave birth to a Palace where her mother wants her dead…?" Queen's response was enough to make me realized how messed up it was.

"Futaba-chan, look! There's no way that monster is your mother! It's just an illusion you created!" Panther tried to make Futaba getting back to her senses by pointing out at the monster.

"B-But…"

"She never abused you, did she!? Boss told us! He said she did her best to raise you alone!" Our Advisor said while trying to comfort the hacker.

"Isn't this a false memory that's been imprinted upon you?"

"A false memory…?" Fox's words were enough to make Futaba understand something. She started to grunt in pain again as her mind and feelings were conflicting with each other "M-Mom…I-I…"

Without warning, another surprise arrived in the niche of time. "It's her Shadow!" Mona said as we jumped due to her sudden arrival.

"Oh for love of… now what?" I asked with my usual annoyed tone. The Shadow began walking until she was next to her real self. For some reason, we were able to hear their conversation as everything started to look dark and green. As weird as it sounds, we felt as if time stopped for a brief moment.

"Sakura Futaba! Remember!" The Shadow started speaking, almost next to the hacker's ears. "You're the reason she committed suicide. You were just getting in the way of her research. Why did you think it was suicide?"

"…Because of the note."

"Exactly. The men in black suits read her suicide note to you, and what was written on it?"

"All of her complaints… about me."

"Yes. The shock and the pain led you to avert your eyes. But they kept reading it aloud in front of your relatives. Think hard. Was that suicide note real? Would the mother you loved so much have written that? Did she ever say such horrible things to you?" After the Shadow was done speaking, Futaba started to stand up again while looking at her other self with fierce eyes.

"No! She scolded me whenever I had tantrums, but she cared for me!"

"Then what about the suicide note?"

"A total lie!"

"You were used! They forged her suicide note and laid the blame of her death upon you! They trampled all over your young heart! Get mad! Don't forgive those rotten adults!"

"It's because I couldn't face myself, or Mom's death… Even then, why did they have to yell at me like that!?" In a flash of light, time returned to move again as if everything just lasted one second.

"Futaba-chan!?" Panther called her out as the hacker was getting back on her feet. She reacted rather violently as she had headaches. She had both hands holding her head while trying to withstand the pain. "…That's right. I knew, but I…" She talked to herself. For a moment I was confused until I finally realized something that never thought it would happen again.

Her Shadow, it was talking within her mind.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT…! THIS TIME, YOU'LL BE THE ONE TO DIE! IT'S YOUR FAULT! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" The monster unleashed gusts of sands at us every time it kept shaking its wings.

"I won't let those distorted lies deceive me anymore…" Futaba's voice started to gain more confidence as she kept looking at the cognition. "And I won't be led astray by other's voices either… I'm going to trust my own eyes and my own heart to distinguish the truth from the lies. There's no way you're my mom! You're just a fake created by those horrid adults!" Her voice became louder as if the earth began to tremble to her might. "I'll…I'll never… I'LL NEVER FORGIVE THEM!"

That was the turning point for her.

Her Shadow started to manifest upon her by illuminating the sky like a star. Of course, something that we couldn't expect was that her Shadow transformed into an UFO-like Persona flying above us.

"What is that!?" Panther asked as we became very wary of it. The UFO unleashed tentacles over the hacker, wrapping her limbs until it dragged her inside. We looked confused about its strange behavior. It looked almost as it was abducting Futaba.

" _Contract…. I am thou, thou art I… The forbidden wisdom has been revealed. No mysteries… No Illusions shall deceive you any longer."_

"Futaba!?" Queen yelled as the UFO with a worried tone.

"I'm OK!"

"Look at that…!" Mona said with amaze.

"Please, help me! That's gotta go!" Futaba said with confidence, something that Joker took the command immediately by replying with a nod. He turned his sight back at the monster with eyes ready to attack.

"Everyone, let's go!" Our Fearless Leader said to us as we began getting into positions to counter-attack the cognitive beast. This time, we wouldn't lose.

"This is my heart's world, right? Hacking into my distortion should be no problem for me!" She piloted her Persona exactly behind us. With green light coming out of it, she was able to make the solution for our problems.

"A-A ballista!?" Mona said with surprise.

"Shoot it down with this, then beat the crap out of it!" Her instructions were loud and clear. With this weapon's size, we finally had the upper hand.

"Ahhh, I get it now! Let's go!"

"Let's fire the ballista!" Queen said to Joker as he tried to decide who would be the one aiming at the Sphinx. He looked at each one of us until his eyes stopped at me. "Faust, take control of it!"

"Now we are talking! Bring it!"

"Run toward the ballista!" Futaba shouted as I did exactly what they told me to. I got into position by turning some gears while the rest of the team began taking cover to avoid unnecessary damage.

The Sphinx did sweeps and strikes against them with its claws. Those were a close one.

"Change direction! Aim the tip at her!"

"Roger that!" I kept moving to adjust the weapon. That thing was damn heavy, and my arms were getting tired pretty was by each time I tried to move it into the perfect angle. "Guys, I need more time! Can you keep it busy a little longer!?"

"No problem." Joker said while looking back at the enemy. "Loa! Rakunda!" He summoned a floating skull with a snake on the eye.

Everyone took cover behind the pillars again as the monster tried to use Wing Blast on us. Just a little dirt on them, but still safe from that thing.

"Adjust vertical alignment!"

"Got it!" I kept following orders, slowly but surely, I did my best to get the ballista into the perfect angle. "Is this good!?

"Alright, fire!" Right on Futaba's cue, I pulled the lever with both hands. Fast as lightning, the projectile went flying while doing a direct hit on the Sphinx. It began stumbling by landing on the top of the pyramid. It almost got everyone, but they were fast enough to dodge it.

"Hold it!" Joker aimed with his gun at that thing who was on the pyramid's edge.

"NNNNGH…! HOW DARE YOU…! CHILDREN THAT DEFY THEIR MOTHERS SHOULD…DIE!"

"Shut up! You're not my mom! You're just a monster born from my own weakness… Everyone, keep attacking it! Don't let up!" Without a second thought, we started making an All-Out Attack on the cognition with destructive power. For something that big, surely isn't that strong when we were face-to-face. No one was holding back when it comes to punches.

"Assault Dive!" Skull smacked it with Seiten Taisei's weapon on the face with powerful magnitude.

"Tempest Slash!" Fox used Kamu-Susanoo's sword to make multiple cuts at the sphinx without fail.

"Flash Bomb!" Queen rode Johanna at full speed with a charge attack and explosive light.

So far, the cognition showed no signs of trying to defend itself from our attacks. We take the chance as it was groaning.

"Open fire!" Joker, Mona, Panther, and I started to spread bullets at that thing. Although the Sphinx definitively got heavily damaged, it wasn't enough to kill it.

"NNNNNGHHH!" It started to regain its senses and started flying away from us. With that thing being far from our reach again, Futaba flew over the ballista to give us another shot. "I DON'T NEED A CHILD WHO DEFIES ME!" It ranted once again. "AND CHILDREN I DON'T NEED… SHOULD BE KILLED!"

"Oh for fuck's sake, would you shut up already!?" I yelled out of anger to the monster.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!" Always I and my big mouth, the cognition's annoying voice was enough to use Dreadful Scream, inflicting Despair on Queen, Fox and me. Following that, it started to ascend further, making lose it from our sight.

"Dammit! It's back at it again!" Mona wasn't happy of it either.

"I can tell… with my Persona." Futaba warned us as she was flying higher too. "I'll let you know when the enemy's approaching!" She was already on a fair altitude, probably good enough to tell us the right moment.

"How is it going!?" Joker asked the hacker.

"You're still OK! It's far away right now!"

"You want to use the ballista, right?" Mona asked Joker. Our Leader looked at the others, but it was clear that the ones under Despair Status couldn't do it.

"Mind if I do it!?" Skull volunteered himself to control the weapon. Joker gave the nod, something that the punk smiled with excitement. "Alright!" He ran towards ballista and began pulling the mechanisms.

Jokar gave Relax Gel to Panther and Mona so they could use it on us. Mona was applying the medicine to Fox, Panther helped Queen, and Joker helped me out of it. We were no longer under Despair, but we wasted time. We had to be cautious of anything.

"It's coming hot!" Futaba told us as we started to take cover. As we tried to be out of the way before that thing could fall. "Adjust vertical alignment!" She ordered Skull, he was faster than me when trying to aim. That must be a lot of upper body strength.

As we tried to scatter, the ground was unstable that a hole appeared under my right foot, making me unable to move away from the center.

"Faust!" Queen saw me as she and Joker tried to help me out, but we had not enough time.

"Don't be stupid, save yourselves." I tried to push both of them away, but they didn't want to listen.

"We are not going to leave you behind!" Joker tried to argue, but the monster was already getting approaching, to late to even to help me.

"I said…SAVE YOURSELVES!" Out of instinct, I accidentally summoned Hannibal to push them to safety. In just a few seconds, the monster finally landed to the ground with all its weight on me. I could feel the pressure on me as a compressor.

"FAUST!" Everyone yelled in terror as I was caught in the attack. Luckily or not, Hannibal was able to stop it before I could be gone for good by that abomination. I was still severely hurt by it, though. The sphinx flew away from the pyramid's top, leaving me lying on the ground in pain. The team felt relief but somewhat worried about my condition.

"Fire!" Futaba yelled as Skull pulled the lever, effectively hitting the sphinx. Its wings began to falter, forcing it to be on the edge of the pyramid's top.

"It's…payback time!" I said in anger while trying to stand again. I was limping, but still enough strength to attack it at least. "Hannibal!" My Persona leaped towards the cognition with both claws and fangs ready to strike. Like a storm, it went with brutal force to bite it. "What the…?" That attack, that wasn't Double Fang. "Ugh…" With little health I had, at least I was able to hit it back before I fell to my knees.

"Dude, are you alright!?" Skull asked as everyone came to my aid.

"It doesn't matter, finish that thing already!" I yelled everyone now that we had another chance.

"No problem, let's go!" Joker said as he and the rest started another All-Out Attack the monster. They ravaged it from all angles to the point that it stopped to breathe properly, it became weak and defenseless. It was guaranteed that thing won't ever try to fly again.

"NNNGH…! FUTABA… FUTABA…!" The cognition tried to speak, but it sounded worst despite its tone of voice. "IF ONLY I HAD NEVER BIRTHED YOU…!"

"No matter what you say to me… I WILL LIVE! FIRE!" Futaba gave us one last order. With Joker already aiming his gun at the monsters, he pulled the trigger with piercing eyes. The bullet was enough to kill it until it fell off from the pyramid. It went to the ground as its corpse rolled until it stopped. Alas, the fake image of Futaba's mother was gone.


	27. Sand on the Eyes

**What a surprise, you didn't expect updates two days in a row, didn't you? Well, you can say that I have plenty on time for the moment now that I'm in Spring Break. However, now that we are done with Futaba's Palace, there's going to be a lot of chapter in between until we can progress with the main story. It felt weird writing this again after so long, but I really enjoy doing my unique stories between character interactions.**

 **Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

"Futaba!" Queen went after her as she was slowly descending to the ground. The hacker was sitting while we tried to check on her.

"Damn, you're freakin' incredible!" Skull was on a more upbeat attitude after seeing her in action. I was speechless.

Futaba stood up by herself and started to wipe the sand on her. "Whoa! What in the world!?" She started to realize her Metaverse outfit. It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, googles included. "Ooh! It's totally skin-tight!" She said with amazement.

"You'll get accustomed to it." I commented as she kept looking at herself. As we were looking at Futaba, a light came out in front of us, showing a woman with short hair and black attire.

"Another thing showed up!?" The punk pointed out with surprised eyes.

"Mom!?" Futaba muttered, almost in shock. Panther looked confused at first, but we already had the idea who this person was.

"Futaba." The projection's started to speak in a gentle manner, almost warming. "Thank you for choosing to remember the real me."

"I'm sorry for being so selfish." The hacker's voice began to sound somber, trying to hold herself of not crying. "Mom…" She tried to walk towards the projection, but the woman in black stopped her with a hand signal.

"Don't come over here." She replied. "This isn't where you're supposed to be, is it?"

"But I finally got to see you again…" Futaba's voice began to get softer, still trying not to let her tears go.

"Are you being selfish again?"

"Um, I…" Futaba stumbled between her words. She started to touch her finger with both hands and assuming a defensive posture, almost like a little child. "I love you, Mom…"

"I love you too, Futaba." The woman nodded at the hacker. "Now, you should get going." The projection started to vanish in a brink, particles of light flying into the sky. That left Futaba with nothing but a sigh. She was mentally stronger despite everything before.

I was very quiet, almost feeling that my throat was getting dry. That moment, it was something that none of us could be able to speak. I started to sob, almost unable to make it subtle. That is when Queen started to look at me. "Are you crying?"

"Me? I…" I tried to negate it, but everyone started to look at me on how I started to react. "Aww, you know what? Screw it, yes I am." I didn't want to use the excuse of 'sand on the eyes' thing, especially when we were on a desert.

"You know, it's alright to cry." Our Advisor tried to comfort me with a pat on the back.

"Don't ever mention this again, understood?" I said while taking a deep breath and wiping the tear under my mask. I saw Joker looking at me. He knew that I was crying too but didn't say anything.

His sight started to focus on the hacker as she was standing in front of us while spacing out. "So, are we good?"

"Uh?" Futaba looked confused, but it didn't take too long to realize about our deal. "Oh, right. Medjed." She began walking away from us.

"Where are you going?" Queen asked.

"Home. I know how to use the Nav now." She said bluntly while walking straight forward. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and started using the weird app.

"Huh? Oh… right." Queen haven't anything to say. In mere seconds, Futaba vanished into thin air like a mirage on the horizon. I don't know what's on her mind sometimes.

"She left…" Panther commented as we saw how she bailed us like nothing.

"That girl marches to the beat of her own drum, doesn't she?

"Like you're one to talk, Fox." Skull scoffed.

"But if we have her on our side…" Queen started to wonder until she changed her mood in a fly. "Wait, what about her Treasure!?"

"Oh yeah! We almost forgot." The punk said with a grin, he and Panther ran after the sarcophagus.

Fox and Skull flipped it in a lateral way that made Queen opening it up. Some sand flew as that thing hit the ground. As we started to see at its interior, that gave us an awful surprise.

"It's empty?" Panther muttered.

"Wait, if that thing it's empty, doesn't mean…?" As I tried to ask, the whole pyramid started to shake like an earthquake. That caught us by surprise.

"What's goin' on!? Wasn't it supposed to be here!?" Skull called out Mona for this unexpected turn of events.

"Futaba herself was the Treasure!"

"Um, what!?" I said with shocked eyes.

"And she's gone, so of course it's empty!" I was getting anxious about the situation from the cat's explanations. We started to feel how the pyramid was falling apart by each second, we were still standing on the top. "Shoot… This is bad!"

"What's the matter, Mona?" Fox asked.

"Not only did the real person come into her own Palace, she awakened to a Persona while she was here!" He said with distressed eyes. "This place could collapse any second now!"

"You could've told us that beforehand, you know!?" I said out of anger.

"We've accomplished our mission if her Palace is crumbling. We should hurry back to reality."

"That would be wise." Fox calmly replied Queen, even though we could die at any moment. We ran down the pyramid's exterior as the columns behind us started to explode in seconds.

As the whole thing was being destroyed, we started to scream while running for our lives. A curtain of sand and smoke was chasing us as we were leaping between bricks. I don't know how tall the pyramid was, but that kind of inclination it had made us exhausted while running down.

"It's catching up to us!"

"No shit!" I replied to Fox's warning as we saw the sand-cloud getting close to us.

"Running here's a bitch!" Skull said while trying to no trip due to his leg's condition.

"Mona! Turn into a car already!" Panther asked the cat next to her.

"I know! I know! I…!" He tried to explain, but the blond girl's patience was so low that out of desperation, she grabbed Mona from the bandana and launched him into the sky. Panther threw him with enough distance that it transformed into his Bus Form. "Mew" He landed into the ground, waiting for us to make our escape.

We, on the other hand, we kept running with all our strength as the cloud was getting almost next to our asses. It was bad enough that it finally caught us, sending us flying towards Mona. The cat was doing some weird transformation that backside was open like a mouth with the seats to soften our landing. We tried to get into our positions as Queen went quickly after the steering wheel and pressed the gas at full power. The bus raced against all odd while she evaded the falling rocks on our way.

"Can't you get any faster than this!?" I asked while sitting on the copilot's seat.

"That's all Mona can do!" She replied while focusing ahead of us. Everyone was sitting on uncomfortable positions, we looked beaten. I started to look at the mirrors, and we saw the curtain of sand catching us.

"Shit! It is getting closer!"

"Use the app, now!" She said while giving me her phone. I tried to press the inputs, but her mad-driving skills didn't let me press them correctly as she tried to avoid more falling rocks. As we get finally far from the area, I was able to press it correctly, finally transporting us to reality.

"Now returning to the real world from Futaba's Palace. Thank you for your hard work." The app spoke with its usual tone.

* * *

"Hey… You guys still alive?" Sakamoto asked everyone as he and the rest were on the ground. Our destination was the alley, right in front of Leblanc.

"I thought I was gonna die in…" Ann said exhausted, but she started to notice that Yusuke was behind while grabbing her with one arm. "HEY! Will you let go already!?" She pushed him with an elbow on his face. He started to lay on the ground, probably in bad shape. "Ah, sorry!" She apologized due to her rude reaction.

"N-Not again…" That was his only reaction as he tried to stand up. As they were looking at each other on the eyes, Boss started to come out of Leblanc's door, trying to see what the ruckus was outside.

"What was that sound?" He asked the group of teenagers. "…Hm? What're you guys doing out here?"

"Oh, ummmm…" Ann tried for a quick response, but her mind was in blank.

"That reminds me, where's Futaba?" Sakamoto spoke instead, something that made Boss raise an eyebrow.

"What about Futaba?" He asked.

"Oh, ummm…" Ann tried to excuse themselves, but still nothing to say.

"Ah, yes! We came all this way, so how about we enjoy some coffee?" Makoto reacted quickly with an excuse.

"Oh! That's a great idea!" Ann played along.

"That's fine, but…" Boss was still confused by the moment.

"I'm not thirsty though." Yusuke said without thinking, Makoto walked discretely and punched him sideways on her torso. Everyone looked surprised that she would do something like that.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Makoto said while trying to deviate Boss' suspicions from us. "I have some business to take care of, so you guys go on ahead."

"O-Okay, gotcha!" Ann replied with a forced smile. She, Yusuke, and Sakamoto followed Boss inside the café. Makoto, Morgana, and Akira were left behind.

Makoto walked towards Akira and began speaking on his ear. "Let's go see Futaba."

"Wait, where's Katsuo?" The guy with glasses asked.

"You are right, where is he?" Morgana was wondering as well. It didn't take too much time as they heard something on the corner. "Huh, is that him?" The cat said while walking to where I was. And let me tell you something, I wasn't in the best condition.

"Uuuuuuugh!" I said while being inside a trash can.

"Is that you, Katsuo?" I could hear Makoto's voice.

"Goddamn, I'm starting to think that Palaces hate my guts." I replied on my natural way to act. Akira helped me to get out of trash can while Makoto tried to take a banana peel off from my head. "Oww, my back… Hey, where's everyone?" I asked them.

"They are at Leblanc, have you seen Futaba?" Akira asked me.

"I…I'm not sure since I ended up here." I said as they looked worried. "But, I think I heard someone on that direction." I pointed out at a different alleyway.

"Alright, follow me." Morgana went ahead of us. We chased him down there until we started noticing that we are getting close to the Sakura Residence. "There she is!" The cat said while we saw Futaba sitting outside of the front gate.

"Futaba?" Makoto asked her as we kneel to see how she was. "Can you hear me? Please, say something!" We were getting worried about Futaba's silence. "Please…"

"This isn't good." Akira said while looking at us.

"Could this be our fault? Is it because we defeated her monstrous mother…?"

"No, that was nothing more than a cognitive being created in her mind." Morgana corrected Makoto. We weren't feeling sure, though. "Destroying it wouldn't cause memory loss or put a physical burden on her…"

"What should we do…?" Makoto looked at Akira and me for a solution.

"Hey, don't you know a doctor?"

"Ah, good thinking." Akira replied to the cat.

"You do? Can you contact them?"

"Sure thing. You guys take Futaba to her room while I go to Takemi's clinic." Our Leader gave us the task to put the hacker on the bed while he goes for the doctor. He walked while I started to carry Futaba on my arms while Makoto opened the door for me.

It was pretty painful for me to carry her because I wasn't on good condition either. Every step I made felt like I was lifting a heavy cinderblock or something. We tried to hurry before Boss could return and notice anything weird.

"We are almost there." Makoto said as she was upstairs. I tried my best not to drop Futaba by accident. She opened the room for me and turned on the lights. "Be careful." She said while II put the hacker on her bed.

"Man, this is ridiculous…" I said while finally letting her sleep. "She doesn't even have too much weight, but I felt like I was carrying a bag full of brick!" I sat on the chair while trying to take a break.

"Let's just wait for Akira to bring the doctor." Makoto replied to me while both of us started to look at Futaba. "Do you think is she will be alright?" She asked with worried eyes.

"Not so sure..." I replied while looking at the ceiling. My mind couldn't focus on how much we went through. And seeing the suffering Futaba had to deal with, I started to wonder if she will ever wake up.

We started to heard footsteps outside the room. Someone knocked on the door as Makoto turned the doorknob to see who was outside. "Hey guys, I brought Dr. Takemi." Akira said to us while he and someone with a lab coat and heels entered the room.

Was she Dr. Takemi? She was dressed like a goth-punk or something. I knew her only for the medicine we were using, and the personal request Akira asked us, but never thought she would look like that. She looked cute, though.

Dr. Takemi started to examine Futaba closely without saying a word, it felt like a whole minute at most. She began looking at us with serious eyes. "A house call is going to cost you, you know."

"How much will it be…?" Makoto asked.

"…That was a joke." The doctor said with a smile. What an odd sense of humor she had.

"So, um… how is her condition?"

"Her pulse, breathing, temperature, and blood pressure are all normal. No ocular abnormalities either." Dr. Takemi explained in rapid succession. "I'm not sure why but is seems this girl is in some kind of light stupor."

"Which means…?" I asked as I was kind of lost.

"Furthermore, she lacks muscle for her age. I doubt she has stamina either."

"I see. The rebound from her awakening was too strong…" Makoto was starting to look at her usual analytical expression.

"There may have been too many abnormal circumstances…" Morgana commented as Akira and I looked at Makoto.

"We simply cannot keep quiet about this. We should let Boss know." Makoto's suggestion made us feel a little hesitant about the possible outcome of it.

"Wouldn't he figure out our identities!?" The cat wasn't sure of that idea either.

"Still… we should tell him, shouldn't we?"

"Let's go get him." Akira suggested to us.

"Mm, I think that would be best." Makoto nodded. "Letting him know is really the only option we have."

"I guess it can't be helped now…" Morgana was complainant about it.

"But how are we going to approach this matter to him? I'm worried that he will freak out or else." I said while getting my hand under my chin.

"Just keep the circumstances that led up to this secret, okay?" We nodded at Morgana. Akira thanked Dr. Takemi and went outside to get Boss and the others. Makoto and I waited for a couple of minutes for everyone to come around.

So far, they finally arrived. Boss was the first one to enter the room and saw Futaba still on her bed without moving. "Hey, Futaba? Heyyy?" He tried to wake her up, but she was still immobile. We kept quiet, as we tried to think a good way to explain without going into too many details. "Oh dear…" Boss started rubbing neck in confusion.

"Um… about Futaba…" Makoto was ready to give the bad news.

"Hm? Why do you guys look so down?" Boss asked us.

"Futaba-chan's condition…" Ann tried to explain.

"What, this? It happens every so often."

Ummm, what?

"She must've used up all her energy. It's like she ran out of batteries." Boss said nonchalantly. That left us perplexed by the mood-swing. "I think it happens 'cause she doesn't get enough exercise."

"What…?" Sakamoto gave a disappointed look.

"She stays like this for a few days whenever this happens. I'll make sure she gets plenty of rest. Here, keep an eye on her. I'm gonna go close the store." And just like that, Boss left the room as if nothing happened. We were somewhat conflicted of what to think of all this.

"It's hard to describe how I feel right now…" Makoto commented.

"Yeah, I'm feelin' pretty frustrated…" The punk sighed.

"I'm glad she's okay… but what are we gonna do about Medjed?" Ann asked the group. Despite saving Futaba, we are still had more trouble to deal with.

"I hope she wakes up soon." I added. A few seconds later, Futaba's eyes began to slowly open, only making a noise as she was surprised.

"She's up!" Sakamoto said with surprise.

"Medjed…" Futaba muttered. She kept groaning until the point that didn't even bother to stand up. "Tired. Gonna sleep for a bit." She closed her eyes and started snoring, which was pretty loud.

"She fell asleep again!?"

"Futaba-chan!" Both Sakamoto and Ann were surprised by the hacker's behavior. Her attitude changed as she tried to recall something that Futaba said moments ago. "For a bit…? How much is she planning on sleeping…? We probably shouldn't wake her up either…"

"What to do…" Yusuke didn't have much in his mind. The moment was bizarre.

"It's too late for us to find another hacker…" Makoto added as if things weren't already bad for us.

"All we can do is wait for her to wake up…" Morgana commented. He was right. There was nothing else we could do at the moment except checking her regularly in case she decides to wake up again. How long is she going to be like that? This girl was weird in all senses.

Everyone began walking out of the room in an orderly manner while trying not to make too much noise. I was left behind while looking at her sleeping. I sighed as how heavy that must feel after experiencing a place of your nightmares.

"Is everything okay?" Makoto asked me as he noticed my concernments.

"Do you think… Futaba will get recovered after waking up?"

"What do you mean?"

"As if she remembers everything from her Palace, do you think she will still be able to move on after all this?"

"I can't say for certain. You heard Boss, she only needs some sleep. We are going to discuss it until then." Makoto had her hand on my shoulder. I didn't mind, I was too tired even to complain anyways. We left the room in silence and closing the door behind us.

Once outside, we saw everyone returning home, leaving the two of us alone. With those kinds of injuries I had, I didn't want to use my bike just yet. "Mind if I accompany you?" Makoto asked as I tried to wander around the neighborhood.

"Uh, sure I guess." I replied in coldly. We walked on the alleyways without saying a word. The silence was tense. It felt like a mistake letting her be next to me without anything good to say. I decided to head towards a vending machine and to get something to drink. "Do you want something?" I asked Makoto.

"I'm fine, thanks." She politely declined the offer. I inserted some yen for my Apple Juice Soda. The machine dropped it. I took it and opened it while letting the gas going out for a bit before drinking it. "So…" She tried to speak.

"What is it?" I asked while taking a sip of my drink.

"I wanted to say thank you, for saving Akira and me today." She said in her sincere tone. I wasn't really happy about it.

"Don't thank me, alright? If it weren't for my bloody luck, you guys wouldn't need to risk your lives for someone like me." I was annoyed. No one shouldn't thank me when it was my fault from the beginning.

"That's not true, it wasn't your fault getting your foot being stuck while trying to avoid an attack."

"I'm not going to have this conversation, alright? No matter how good things can go for us. There's always one little thing that forces me to get on the worst situations." I said as I started to squish the bottle on my hand. I could hear the plastic making noises due to my strength. I took a deep breath while trying to maintain my composure. "Look, I appreciate to keep things on a brighter side, but you must know that I'm sort of a lost case."

"You helped us. You helped Futaba. We know that you don't think so highly of yourself, but we were able to accomplish so much, thanks to you." Miss Perfect tried to lecture me, or at least that's what I felt like. She tried to talk to me like that gave me an odd yet familiar sensation.

"If you really think of that, then I can't change your mind right now." As I sighed, our phones started to ring at the same time. We received a message from the chat group.

 **Ann:** Hey, I heard some company's info got leaked?

 **Yusuke:** Yes, it seems the private dealings of a large corporation were publicity disclosed.

 **Makoto:** It's caused quite the stir. People are wondering if Medjed is behind it.

 **Akira:** Do you think it was Medjed?

 **Makoto:** I would think not.

 **Katsuo:** I call it a coincidence then, there's probably more external causes than just that.

 **Makoto:** Agreed. This seems to be just a minor thing. Quite different from what Medjed has done up until now.

 **Yusuke:** Is that so?

 **Ryuji:** So it wasn't Medjed? Damn, that shit freaked me out!

 **Ann:** It's honestly kind of hard not having a knee-jerk reaction to this stuff nowadays…

 **Yusuke:** Sometimes people react to these situations by pleading for help from the Phantom Thieves.

 **Makoto:** We need to find a way to stand up for them…

 **Katsuo:** Right now, we can only hope for Futaba's recovery. Until then, there's nothing we can do.

We were done with the conversation. The guys were way too worried about that group of phonies. Makoto and I were pretty sure that anything kind of information couldn't be trusted at this age. "Well, as I said on the chat, we can only wait."

"Indeed, which I think is a good time for something more important."

"Which is?"

"Teaching me how to ride a bike." Makoto's commented only caused me nothing but to frown. "I'm done reading the manual. I feel I'm ready to practice now."

"Really…?" I sighed. "Give me at least two more days to rest, and then we can start."

"Okay, take care of yourself."

"You too." We went to our separate ways. I accompanied her to the closest station before riding my bike. I realized that summer just started, and I felt the world was about to end. Teaching Makoto, tutoring the children from that orphanage, my two jobs, and surviving Medjed until August 21st. What a great way to spend my summer, isn't it? For me, not much.

* * *

Hannibal's Current Skills: Level 35

-Eiga

-Maeiha

-Mamudo

-Evil Touch

-Cornered Fang

-Terror Claw

-Oni Kagura

-Rakunda


	28. Lesson 1

**By the time I updated this chapter, minutes later I watched the new Smash Ultimate update and Joker's gameplay. I have to say that I'm so excited to play as him. Mementos, soundtrack and spirits, this pack had all.**

 **Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

August 2nd, another ordinary day. It's been two days since we were done with Futaba's Palace. The previous day happened absolutely nothing except it was rainy, my body was still recovering, and no delivery jobs available. Today was the same, no new deliveries either which I found odd.

I couldn't understand why, I tried to ask some of my employers, but no one was able to answer me anything but mumbling excuses. I tried to contact some of my fellow couriers, but apparently, most of them quitted the company. It was the same thing, no one could answer me why. So far from what I'm concerned, it was a catastrophe. I could do something else, but that would bring me to one thing I didn't want to happen.

 **Makoto:** Where can I wait for you? I'm ready to start practicing today.

That, teaching her how to ride a bike.

 **Katsuo:** You can wait for me outside of the train station at Kanda.

 **Makoto:** Understood, see you there.

And the nightmare began, where not only I have to use all my mind and body to gather patience from teaching her. No, I was almost forgetting that we must go to the Geminis Orphanage to practice, which means also becoming tutors for the kids. I promised Arisato-san to do that as a way to allow us to use her property in the meantime.

I was hoping to lose my sanity at the end of that summer.

It was early morning, probably not that early as it was around 10:30 or so when I was riding my bike to that area. The day was bright. Actually, it was way too bright as if the sunlight was burning my skin. It was a heatwave, exactly what you get after a rainy day. Not the best day to practice, but I complained enough at this point. There was no turning back.

"Hey, kept you waiting?" I asked Makoto as soon as I arrived at Kanda.

"No, it is fine. Shall we go?"

"Sure, I see you brought a helmet." I said while looking at the object she had at hand.

"It is from sis', but I don't think she will notice its absence."

"I'm sure she won't, hopefully." I said with concernment. If something bad happens to Makoto while I teach her, I will need to flee the country. "Alright, hop in." I said to her while making space so she could get on my bike.

"W-What? Are you serious?" She said in disbelief.

"Well, what did you expect? Unless you want to walk, which let me tell you, it is pretty far from here."

"Walking doesn't sound so bad actually…"

"Just get in already! We don't have all day." Makoto hopped on my bike's backseat while grabbing my shoulders. She looked unusually nervous about this. "Hold them tight, unless you want to fall off." I said while starting to accelerate.

We started to travel around the area. I went lower than usual since the speed limit was pretty small in Kanda. Not much traffic, just very few cars around while looking for the right direction.

"So, where exactly are we going?" She asked me while I was focusing on the road.

"To a terrain close to an orphanage."

"Uh?" Makoto looked confused. Understandably as I never told her about the place beforehand. "Why exactly that place instead of a parking lot?"

"I don't know… Probably I wanted to be away from the lousy city for a while teaching you." I replied without expressing much enthusiasm. Maybe my answer felt shallow or just couldn't get something useful on my mind. Providing a clearer response was difficult.

Traveling around the neighborhood, we were getting close to the appointed place. Even if I couldn't see Makoto's face, somehow, I could feel her reaction of seeing the orphanage for the first time.

Not so different since the last time I came here. The paint on the house was decaying, the front yard had not many flowers or very little grass around, and the playground had some rust on it, s pretty sad scenery.

"There we are, not too scared?"

"Not really, but it's weird that your idea of practicing in this place. Is this alright to be here?" Makoto asked. She looked confused about and somewhat worried that we might bother people around.

"It is fine. Although I should tell you right from the get-go because I forgot to mention it."

"Which is?"

"I promised the people in charge of the orphanage to tutor their kids if we wanted to practice here. And you are going to help me with them." After done explaining, Makoto became silent for a brief moment while thinking. It wasn't one of my finest moments.

"Okay, I understand it now."

"What? That's it? Are you not going to argue or something?" Her reaction wasn't something that I could expect.

"If I'm perfectly honest, I wasn't sure of why going here at first until you finally explained me. I couldn't be mad since you are trying to help those children's education." I was in shock that she was perfectly fine with the whole thing.

"A-Are you sure about this? There's still some time to back away, you know."

"Since you promised them already, you must take the responsibility of your choice." She said in a rather serious tone. I didn't like where this was going.

"And that's something I regret, but whatever." I sighed while starting to knock the door. We waited for them to open the door. It didn't take too much time until Arisato-san finally received us.

"Kat-kun! Welcome, and I see you brought your friend."

"Hello, I'm Niijima Makoto. Nice to meet you." Makoto acted politely to the cheerful woman.

"Nice to meet you too, Mako-chan. Come on in, I will get the kids to the living room." We entered the house. We took off our shoes and headed to where the living room was. Nothing changed since my last visit except it wasn't such a mess like that time. A table with chairs around, the couch and coffee table on the center. It looked nicely spacious.

Makoto started to notice the naginata hanging on the wall. Her expression said all of why someone would be carrying it on the house.

"Don't overthink about it." I said to her before making questions. "It is fake, though."

"Okay?" She raised an eyebrow. Moments later, Arisato-san came with all the kids following her like some sort of Mama Duck and her ducklings. They looked as energetic as usual, which means a lot more work for us.

"Kids, all of you know about an acquittance of mine, Ruuynosuke Katsuo. He and his friend Niijama Makoto are going to be your tutors during the summer. I hope all of you can get along." The caretaker said with an upbeat tone. "I want to present my children. Here is Maki and Saya, both of them are the oldest. Jun and Nishi, the dynamic duo. Rita, Sochi, Rita, and Kei. And of course, my daughter Yuki." She was present every single one of them to us. "Say hi, kids."

"Hi!" All of them said in unison, that gave me bad vibes for some reason.

"Okay, it is almost time for me to go to work. I hope all of you behave in my absence."

"Yes, Aunty Minako!" They replied cheerfully while Arisato-san kissed everyone's foreheads before leaving. She grabbed her scarf and purse before leaving through the front door. As soon we were left alone with them, I started to scream in my mind since I couldn't know exactly what to do.

"So, which subjects do you need help with?" Makoto spoke first. She looked more composed and calmer in that situation.

"We would like to answer us stuff about mathematics and literature." Maki explained about the specific subjects.

"Okay, let's get started." The kids started to accommodate everything around on both table and couch with their notebooks and books already out. "Katsuo, would you help with literature while I take care of math?"

"Sure, I guess." I replied while heading to the table. I took charge of Nishi, Jun, Saya, and Yuki. Makoto had Maki, Rita, Kei, and Sochi. She got the least problematics of the bunch. We gather all their notes to see what they learned and which parts they couldn't understand.

Well, with all honesty Yuki only needed to start learning how to read. Her book was about _The Pink Alligator_ , a favorite book for children of her age.

"I don't understand this word… ina-inadi-inua…" Yuki asked me while trying to pronounce the word.

"Inaudible, as in difficult to hear." I explained while she started to take notes. Smart girl.

"Can you tell me the answer, Jun? I don't understand this poem." Nishi complained about what he read.

"Can you see it? It says 'Those who dare are the brave, become the crane.' How can't you understand it?" Jun tried to explain, but only made the other boy more confused.

"That doesn't make sense! The crane is what…?" No matter how much the loud boy tried to understand the poem, he was losing his patience.

"Okay let me look at the poem." I said to the kid. I began reading it for a much better point of reference.

 _Where everyone leaves, you are left above a stone on the lake._

 _Chained to the past, thus who lived long can fear for an end._

 _Those who dare are the brave, become the crane._

 _Creatures worth of experience, lessons learned are the pathway._

 _Thousands of years of endurance, your wish may come to a future._

Who wrote this stuff? Some edgy-wannabe teenage girl? Even if I didn't like the poem, it felt a little too advanced for boys of their age, although Jun didn't have much of a problem.

"Mhhh…" I was trying to analyze the meaning of it. "Ah, isn't it a reference to the 1,000 origami cranes?"

"It is, but we need to answer the question. Nishi is having problems about what the author's intentions." Jun explained to me. His best friend kept scratching his head out of frustration.

"Okay, I think I got something." I said while taking the poem and pointing with my finger. "As you can see, it follows like a pattern where it explains that people might go through a lot of hardships. You learn from it."

"I see…" Jun reflected about my explanation. "But what about the beginning of being left alone above a stone?"

"I can assume, that you can learn more if you are all by yourself."

"Why would you try to learn without people? That doesn't make sense." Nishi started to complain more about the specific line.

"What makes you say that?" I asked the loud kid.

"I don't want to learn stuff alone. I want to learn more with my friends!" He said in a rather simple manner. I was surprised by myself that I wasn't losing my patience by explaining him. I guess interpretations about the poem isn't the same for different ages.

As Makoto and I were busy tutoring the children, I received a text message from Akira.

 **Akira:** Hey Katsuo, I need you for something important.

 **Katsuo:** Sorry, but I'm busy. I can't go anywhere at the moment.

 **Akira:** It is fine because I would need you to look for a target from Mishima.

 **Katsuo:** Target? Do you mean like one of those in Mementos?

 **Akira:** Yeah, you just need to look for a name since Mishima doesn't have it. Only details about where you could look out first.

 **Katsuo:** Alright, who's this guy?

 **Akira:** So far from what he told me. Some people from a company at Shinjuku which they been treated like slaves for their boss while taking credit for himself.

 **Katsuo:** What an asshole!

 **Akira:** I know, but since we don't know their boss' full name, I would like you to investigate around since your job is in that area.

 **Katsuo:** Alright, it won't be simple as there is a lot of business in that area. I will keep both ears and eyes open just in case.

 **Akira:** Thank you.

"Who was it?" Makoto asked me as I was done with the conversation.

"Just Akira for a favor. Nothing big." I replied.

"Okay." She said while helping the rest of the children with math problems such as fractions and divisions. Simple stuff that I didn't like.

We spent an hour or two helping them with the subjects. It felt a little tight but I at least they didn't cause us trouble. At least not yet. "That's all for today." Makoto said to them with a satisfactory tone. "You can go now."

"Yaaay!" They said with joy while leaving the house in a rush. They thought summer was a sacred time to spent outside instead of hitting the books. How little they knew at that age.

"Well, I guess we should start with the riding lessons as well." I said while standing up and stretching my arms.

"Agreed." She said while accommodating the table, so it is at least clean when Arisato-san doesn't find it messy.

We walked through the front door while seeing how bright the day was. It almost blinded me of how different the illumination was between the house and the outside. I headed to where I parked my bike and getting it ready for her to start.

"Are you ready?" I asked her while she was putting the helmet.

"I am." Makoto replied with confidence.

"Okay, let's start with the simple stuff. Turn the bike on." I said while crossing my arms. She turned the key to start the engine, but nothing happened. "Press the pedal on your right."

"You mean this one?" She did exactly what I said. The bike started to roar like a beast while she held it with both hands on it.

"Alrighty then, that was easy for you. Now, let's see how good you can go forward." I said while smirking. She turned the gas to accelerate, and funny enough. She slowly started to panic since she couldn't go a top speed like her persona. There were various degrees of speed that she thought on one type instead, full-hellish-speed.

"W-What's wrong with this!?" She said nervously while trying to control it since she didn't even go far, only sudden breaks that made her jump.

"Difficult? Are you trying to burn the grass or something?"

"I don't have time for jokes!" She yelled at me while trying to force my bike to advance.

"Okay that's enough, I don't want you to ruin the engine." I walked while stopping her from accelerating. "Tell me, can you see a problem in this?" I asked her with serious eyes. She didn't say a word as trying to get an explanation. At this point, she was just overthinking too much without saying a word. "Oh for love of… You are not keeping a constant speed!"

"I knew that!" She replied with the same tone.

"Did you? Then why you didn't go farther than this?" I asked her with my patience running low. "This is not rocket science, and you need to start low before gaining speed." I started to grab the gas maneuver with her hand still underneath mine.

"H-Hey!" She said nervously.

"Shush! Just look at how I do it." The bike began accelerating with a more gently since I wasn't forcing it like Miss Perfect next to me. "Can you see it? This is not like Johanna where you can just think how fast you want to go. You need to measure it by yourself."

"I see…"

"Now try it yourself." I said while letting her go. Her speed was pretty slow, but at least didn't make sudden brakes. "See? You don't want to ride like a mad man on the first few seconds before hitting the road."

"This is interesting. I usually make Johanna do all this by her own with me only aiming."

"Well, you are not here to ramp on anything. You are the one in control now." I yawn since I did nothing but look at her trying to do a couple of laps around the house. I checked on her regularly than didn't try to go above the speed limit I dictated her. It still baffled me that driving a bike in the Metaverse and the real world was pretty apparent, just like day and night.

As I was looking at the time, and I knew that was getting a little late since we spent another hour practicing. "That's enough. I think you are already know how it goes."

"I already have a grasp of how it works."

"Good, because this isn't a tricycle." I said while checking the levels of fuel and the tires' conditions. "Also, sorry if I have to drag you into this. Let's look for a different place than this if you don't like it."

"I don't mind it, helping them with their studies was fun."

"Do you really like it? I thought it would be an inconvenience since you are doing something else than practicing this."

"Well, I was shocked that you agreed to be a tutor. Especially after I saw you how you tried to help Ryuji before last month's finals." Makoto chuckled, almost as if tried to mock me.

"Hey! You know that punk can't focus for more than two seconds in that stuff! I needed to be a little stricter in that part." I was done looking at my bike. "In any case, I guess we should go."

"Are you sure to leave them alone?" Makoto said while looking at the children playing outside.

"Kanda is a peaceful neighborhood, and there's nothing to worry since they spent time alone while the adults are working. They mature much faster than other kids." I said while trying to accelerate. That is until I saw Maki and Yuki in front of me. "Do you need something?" I asked them.

"Yes, Yuki-chan wanted to ask if she could try the bike. We saw you practicing." Maki told me while Yuki was behind her. The youngest girl looked nervous to ask herself.

"Sorry, but I can't allow you that." I said in a calming tone.

"Why not?" Yuki asked.

"Because of …umm, well…" I tried to come up with an excuse.

"You need permission to try to ride a bike." Makoto said as a way to get a fast response. That was a lousy excuse in my opinion.

"If I ask mommy, then I can try it?" Yuki said with a lot of enthusiasm. I silently tried to tell Makoto to refuse it or something.

"You know what, probably both of your parents."

"Really? Awww, probably daddy won't allow me then." Yuki said in disappointment.

"There's no harm asking them anyways." Makoto said while looking the little girl at the eyes. Yuki's mood returned with hopeful joy.

"Alright, thank you Mr. Biker and Miss!" The little girl said with a smile while running towards the other kids with Maki following her.

"Oh man, just what I needed." I sighed "Why you have to say that? I don't want to let kids hop on my bike."

"There's nothing wrong as long there's supervision from other adults."

"At least you told her to ask both parents. It at least raises the chances of not allowing her since Yuki's father wouldn't allow it."

"I guess so. Shall we go?"

"Yeah, I have work to do later." I said while we were putting our helmets and headed to the train station.

What a day, I never thought that our first day to practice went better than I could imagine it. Then again, there's no such thing as a bad first day. With Makoto behind me, while riding the bike, it made me think of why I decided to accept all this. Whatever was on my mind felt like a mystery. Well, despite not liking about tutoring children, for some reason felt oddly satisfying.


	29. Roadblock

**Hi everyone, I know it took me a lot of time with this chapter but stuff happened on my week. And I know there was a lot between the trailer from P5R, info about the new character, and the Musou game. I will give you some thought at the end of the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: Persona 5 Characters except Ryuunosuke Katsuo belongs to Atlus, this fanfic has no commercial purpose.**

* * *

 **Ryuji** : Is it just me, or have there been a ton of info leaks lately?

 **Ryuji** : It's not Medjed, right?

 **Makoto** : I think they'd make it into a much more theatrical occasion.

 **Ann** : You're right! They didn't make any declarations or anything!

 **Katsuo** : There's something that I don't like it. They must be planning something.

 **Makoto** : Still… It's quite a headache.

 **Ryuji** : The hate we're getting online is insane too. People're treating us like this is all our fault.

 **Yusuke** : They may denounce us if we don't hurry and take of this.

 **Katsuo** : You shouldn't give a damn of what they say, we're doing the risky work here.

 **Makoto** : Has anyone come up with a plan for solving the problem?

 **Akira** : Not yet.

 **Ryuji** : Well, I'm gonna keep tying.

 **Ann** : We have to do whatever we can.

 **Yusuke** : Either way, simply relying on Futaba will not do.

 **Ryuji** : Well if we run out of options, that might be our only choice…

 **Katsuo** : How's Futaba?

 **Akira** : Boss told me that she is still sleeping.

 **Katsuo** : Then she is still not able to help us, right? What a nightmare.

I was done texting during my break. The situation didn't look as good as how I read everyone's messages. It was August 5th, and we are still having trouble with Medjed. Seriously, how much sleep needs one person to recover? Futaba was a weird girl.

"Is everything alright, my dear boy?" Lala-chan asked me as she noticed my concernment.

"I'm fine, just waiting for a friend to recover. She must be a heavy sleeper." I replied with assurance.

"I hope your friend gets better."

"I hope so too…" I couldn't get out of my head as I felt hopeless. I couldn't come up with a plan to deal with Medjed. One could expect that I should ask my family to solve the issue, but this way too far for them too. I don't want them to ask for help on anything at all.

One side of me wanted to believe that we will get out this without a scratch. However, the other wanted to accept that it is an unwinnable situation. We weren't dealing with Shadows, that terrorism on a bigger scale. People were telling us that is our fault from all this happening.

Screw them. I couldn't care less about what they thought about us. It was so easy to play the blame game when the people aren't the ones risking their necks. I started to wonder if it is worth it, those ungrateful assholes.

When I was busy cleaning some of the glasses, a miserable businessman came to the bar with a worn-out face. "G-Good evening…" He greeted us in low spirits.

"Oh, my… You look quite exhausted. Here, have a seat." Lala-chan tried to make that guy comfortable while I started to serve some sake for him. "…Well? So your boss has been bullying you again?"

"As soon as I talk back, he makes sure I know I'm lower than him. He insinuates he'll demote me…" He spoke on such a depressing tone. I kinda felt pity to him. "After that, I'll overhear him talking about me, calling me useless while I'm at work… And everything I've done, all the results I'm getting… Somehow, he's taking all the credit."

"That is the worst kind of workplace abuse. I cannot believe that man…" Lala-chan said with concernment.

"So many people have quit because of stress. And yet, the higher-ups all ignore it. Of all the terrible bosses I could get in the world, why did mine have to be Kishi Shinsuke?" He sighed distraughtly, and I found the jackpot. "Hey, Lala. I wish those Phantom Thieves could do something and help me this…"

"Like how? Are you going to ask them to steal all your stress away?" Lala-chan did one of her famous quips. While the miserable businessman cracked a smile, but it wasn't enough to light his mood completely.

"Hahaha… No. I guess it's impossible. But it's nice to think about…" Their conversation began to derail away from the original topic. I didn't pay much attention to them since I finally got what I needed.

If I could recall correctly, Akira mentioned a request from that Mishima guy. Overworked and undervalued, yep, that was the type of problems that I didn't like a bit of it. I'm not a genie, but I heard his wishes very clear. I decided to wait until done with my shift to send a message about the target.

That must be the worst thing of having a work that no one values you. I guess I couldn't say much about myself. It was a dysfunctional, poorly organized job I had with the delivery company. I never mentioned how I got it in the first place, didn't I? It isn't the most exciting story.

I started when it was a part-time job during my third year at Shujin. I just bought my motorcycle and tried to look for something different than working at Crossroads. At this point, I can't quit it since it pays my bills. Balancing jobs while being a phantom thief became exhausting.

What? You don't want to hear the sorry story of my life, do you? I guess it's understandable.

As I was saying, I kept working like always until the end of the night. There weren't many people around as if not many people wanted to leave home. For some reason, my head started to hurt a lot. It was insufferable. I don't know why that sudden feeling, but it was quite painful. The first thing I did after leaving work was heading towards the closest drug store in Shinjuku.

From the cheapest selection I could get, I bought one that should alleviate the headaches but probably making me fall asleep pretty fast. After leaving the drug store, I went to where I parked my bike and heading back home. The first thing on my head was to eat that medicine and go to bed early.

* * *

Early morning in Shibuya, I went to the office where my day job work is since it's been a long time without any new deliveries. It was a small building behind some alleyways across the central street. Pretty easy to miss, but not something that you would care anyhow.

As I walked through to see how they were doing, I felt that something wasn't right as I opened the door. The place was full of boxes, either too much delivery or something worse.

"Oh, hey Katsuo-san." The guy in glasses and a dirty white shirt was my employer. He was greeting me while moving boxes around. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Hey… what's with all those boxes?" I asked in confusion. The place seemed cramped that I couldn't even see the restroom.

"Didn't you get my email?"

"No, I didn't get emails, or letters, or texts, or calls, or anything at all since every single person in this place didn't want to answer me." I said in desperation since I was in the dark about the details.

"We are shutting down." He said melancholically while not looking me on the eyes. I couldn't stop saying but 'What!' every time while hoping for the answers.

"B-But why!?"

"This place was falling apart lately as people were afraid to go out. With the new policies and mental shutdown incidents around the corner, we were losing profit and personnel. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you directly, but I was afraid of being the bearer of bad news."

"Y-you can't do that! I won't quit and bring as many packages as possible even if I go through the whole city!" I tried to persuade him, but he just gave me dismissing smile. Convincing him was useless.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you know that having one courier isn't enough to keep this place afloat."

"Then what would happen to me! I do really, REALLY need this job! I…"

"I'm so sorry, I understand that, but there's nothing we can do." He tried to apologize way too many times. He grabbed my right shoulder and looked at me, straight to the eyes. "I must admit, you probably were the best courier we ever had. However, you know things have to change one way or another. Don't feel disappointed. The only thing I can assure you is that you will find a better job than this one."

"I truly doubt that will happen." I said while looking at the floor.

"Have some faith, that's the only thing I can guarantee you. You don't know what awaits you on the future." He went on his way of accommodating boxes around the place. "One more thing. If you are worried about your last payment, don't sweat it, I will deposit it to your bank account before the end of this week." He gave another reassuring smile, but it was useless. He went to the other room while I left the office.

Once outside, I tried my best to not showing any reaction in public. Deep down, I was damned, furious and confused. I couldn't think straight as I was sitting on the street with a defeated attitude. Not only I lost my job, but it was a goddamn fact that I won't ever get to Europe or even a regular college anywhere in Japan. I saved so much money since my second year at Shujin, but in the end, all that effort went to waste.

"Goddamn… what should I do?" I muttered. I started to look at my phone mindlessly as I tried to think about something else. It only brought more stress as I got nothing but news about Medjed. Sure, we saved Futaba, but we are doomed regardless unless she wakes up to take those nerds down. We only could wait.

Without work at the moment, I decided to return home until night. I couldn't even do that.

I was walking around the central street to get my bike. As I turned my head around, I saw the gym I went with Sakamoto last month, time went fast. With all the frustrations, I needed to cool down somehow. I decided to get inside and pay the fee.

The place didn't change much. I didn't have the appropriate clothes, but that wouldn't matter since the only thing I could do was to punch the sandbag.

I was already on guard, putting my fists up to strike. I took deep breathes as I was punching it from left to right. I did nothing but hooks and jabs on it with all my strength. Every minute I spent punching out my stress on that thing, my knuckles started to get bruises and probably minor bleeding. It didn't matter for me. I just tried everything to let go all that stuff out of my mind.

"Shit…" I begrudged under my breath. Every blow I landed on the sandbag felt as if I was punching shards of glass. I couldn't stop. My levels of adrenaline were high. If I continued at that point, I would end up breaking my fists. Of course, things always had unexpected turns.

"Sup'…" I heard a voice from behind. I wasn't surprised, though.

"How many times are you going to sneak up on me, Souta?" I said while cracking a smile.

"As many times as necessary, old pal." I saw him in gym clothes. I guess I wasn't the only one to get in that place during the same day. "What a surprise of seeing you here."

"I just came here without thinking, how about you?"

"I'm a regular." He said while putting his stuff on the ground. "And from what I'm looking here, you got pretty sloppy from what I remember. How often do you train?"

"Not much." If you thought that fighting Shadows count as training, then that didn't work.

"Quite a letdown of seeing you like this. Then again, you were more of a 'punch hard' kinda guy."

"I don't pick fights like when we were kids, you know. The best I can do is to give them a scary glare." I said humorously.

"I won't deny it. You always intimidated every single chump that tried to fight us." Souta started to put some gloves as he was ready to punch the sandbag as well. "But with all honesty, being scary isn't enough as there will be someone that isn't going to fall for that trick. Better have the skills to back you up."

"Well excuse me…" I chuckled while trying to take a break from beating that thing. As I was taking a deep breath, Souta started to see my bruised knuckles.

"Dude, you shouldn't practice without the right equipment."

"I already told you, I came here without thinking."

"Then how about if I lend you these?" He showed me two rolls of boxing wraps.

"Are you sure? I don't want to bother you with your training." I said modestly, but he only cracked a smile.

"Don't be stupid. Let me help you a little since you seemed rusty." Souta insisted. I couldn't refuse any longer as I took them started to wrap them around my hands. Those things felt tight, a weird sensation as I never expected to use them. "From what I saw, you lack finesse in your movements. As I said before, you are more brutality and intimidation, but people will catch you off-guard if you keep doing that."

"Yeah, right…" I said as it wasn't too important. As I turned my head, Souta tried to throw a left hook. I blocked it in the niche of time, but he caught me with a kick on the back. "Oww! What the hell man!"

"I told you, you got sloppy." He said casually. "Sorry for that, but you know very well that no one would act so polite on the moment to attack." Souta started to put himself in guard, ready to attack the sandbag. In a way, he wasn't wrong if I could compare it of how many times the Shadows caught us for being careless.

"So, what exactly you have in mind?" I asked while crossing my arms. My old friend only gave me a smirk without saying a word.

His eyes were focused on the sandbag with both fists up. He inhaled while stretching both arms and legs. He closed his eyes briefly. From a second to another, he started to punch with a tremendous speed that you could only see in martial arts movies. As hard to believe, his strikes were precise and powerful enough that the sandbag was almost flying.

"Holy shit…" I was amazed by his movements. That wasn't a child's play. I remember that his fighting style was faster back then, but that was on another level. Soon after that, he started to send frontal and roundhouse kicks from all angles. Despite all that effort he put on hitting that thing, he didn't look exhausted one bit.

"Impressed?" He asked while taking a brief pause from beating the shit out of the sandbag.

"More than that…" I rubbed my eyes, to make sure that I wasn't getting blind or something from that little demonstration. "What was all that? Some sort of ancient marital or something?"

"Martial arts? Don't exaggerate that is self-taught."

"Bullshit, that doesn't look like something you could learn on your own." Souta chuckled from what I said.

"I'm serious. Hard to believe, but you would be surprised that I never stopped fighting when I left Tokyo six years ago." He gave me a grimace. From what I understood, he got rough years without catching a break. "That doesn't matter. What's important right now is to put you back in shape."

"Are you serious? I mean, I appreciate the offer to train me and all, but why would you do that for me in the first place?"

"Because you are like my brother." He gave me a pat on the back. "Even though you are not good at the moment, I can feel your fighting aura back when we were younger. I'm confident of you."

"How reassuring… Did you get those inspiring words from a movie or something?" We started to laugh it out. Shortly after talking about trivial topics, we began to take turns on punching the sandbag while he gave me tips on my practice. Just food for the thought so I wouldn't hurt myself while training. We didn't much progress, but it was nice to hang out with him after a long time.

"Alright, we are done for today." Souta said to me while taking off his gloves.

"Agreed, my arms are starting to feel numb." I gave a worn-out expression. That was a good exercise, but goddamn, my body would hurt on the following morning. I headed to the restroom while he started putting his stuff back to his duffle bag.

I washed my face and looked myself on the mirror. I noticed two important things: I needed to shave and some sleep. Probably would do it once I get to home. Although, I felt that something was missing. "Oh shit, that's right…" I forgot to give the target's name to Akira.

I pulled my phone and started typing it.

 **Katsuo:** Hey I got your name. Kishi Shinsuke, a real piece of shit of a boss.

 **Akira:** Alright, that should be good when we go to Mementos.

 **Katsuo:** When exactly are we going?

 **Akira:** We? I wasn't expecting to accompany us this time.

 **Katsuo:** Well, I thought it would be nice helping out at least.

 **Akira:** In any case, we will go at some point of this month. I will send you a message when we are ready.

 **Katsuo:** Sounds good.

After the conversation, I left the restroom while looking for Souta. He was already gone. I went outside to see if he was there. He was already waiting next to the entrance while looking at his phone.

"Hey, ready to go?" He asked me.

"Sure." He started walking towards the central street while I went in the opposite direction. He looked confused for some reason.

"Dude, the subway station is on this direction."

"I don't need it. I have my motorcycle." Souta got his eye full of surprise from hearing that.

"You don't say… which bike you have?"

"A Monda CMX250, pretty old."

"Nice! Having your own ride must be sweet." He said with a smile.

"It is, but it was pretty expensive when I got it."

"How much?"

"I can't remember, but I know it was a lot despite being used."

"Mhhh… maybe I should get myself one?" Souta started to scratch his chin. He was serious about it.

"Good luck with that."

"Remember, I will send you a text in case you want to practice more."

"Wait, I think we never exchanged ID, didn't we?" I just realized at that point. That was odd that I never asked before.

"True that. Here's mine." I added him on my list of contacts. "See you next time, pal." He headed to the train station while I went to the parking lot.

It felt quite like a mood swinger this day. I pretty much lost my day job, but at least let some of that rage out with a good friend. The most I could hope was to ask Lala-chan if she could let me work during the day. I doubted if that would be even possible since there are no customers during the day. I looked at the sky while asking myself if there would be a future for me, probably not.

* * *

 **Okay, first thing. Persona 5 The Royal was a surprise of the amount of content I saw on the trailer. From new locations, readjusting Palaces, and of course, the new characters.**

 **From what I could give you about the new party member, Kasumi looked fine, not much opinion about her except the fact that the main story will be altered with her inclusion. Which I should make it clear about that I won't rewrite this fic to accommodate P5R changes. It will be still the vanilla version with some minor alterations. Although, I will consider in some future about writing the new scenes with Katsuo in it as a separated story as "what if..." scenarios. And we are still about to get more info on May 9th. I can't imagine what could be exactly, but it will be a lot for sure.**


	30. A Goodbye, For Now

**Hi everyone, I know this might be a surprise that there's no new chapter. The truth is, I'm afraid that I won't continue writing it anymore due to lack of creativity. I know all of you will be disappointed, but I couldn't find a good way to continue this properly. Don't worry, I won't delete it, this should be as a reminder how I started since this was my first story.**

 **A lot of flaws, not enough flow in the story, things that probably won't even make much difference to stand out on its own. I had a lot of ideas for the future but none of them would work. I would like to apologize to everyone if you were expecting to get this further. I'm surprised I got this far, but this won't do.**

 **Right now, I'm thinking to start all over again with a 'reboot' of this story, not a rewrite. I will still use my OC for the new one but with some alterations for the new story. I still not done getting some concepts yet for what will be about exactly. I hope to see everyone in the next story.**


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